This research examines the migration history and social construction of ethnic identities of two generations of Surinamese-Javanese in the Netherlands from 1973 onwards. It incorporates the...Show moreThis research examines the migration history and social construction of ethnic identities of two generations of Surinamese-Javanese in the Netherlands from 1973 onwards. It incorporates the perspective that the creation of ethnic identities must be considered transformative processes of social boundaries. In this particular case, the social boundaries that are used to create a distinction between the Surinamese-Javanese community and the Dutch society as a whole, are mainly played out in the areas of citizenship, religion, and language. By having used oral history as methodology, two generations of Surinamese-Javanese, one generation born in Suriname, one in the Netherlands, have contributed to this research. Based on their accounts, ways are showed in which individuals partake in creating or challenging a collective identity. Furthermore, it reveals how the overall socio-political structures, and the colonial migration history, have been of continuous influence on the ways social boundaries are negotiated between and by both generations. In order to analyse these processes of continuous transformation and fragmentation, a historical point of view has been deemed necessary to uncover the long-term changes and continuities. In the end, this research aims to contribute to the theoretical discussion regarding ‘groupness’, the social construction of ethnicity, the power relations related to mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, and the agency of migrants. Also, by taking on a different approach, it strives to gain new insights into the migration history of the Surinamese-Javanese, and into Dutch colonial history.Show less
