Conformans novas selves: The significance of Balkan route migrants’ possible and future narrative identities

Abstract

This study explores the multifaceted nature of narrative identities among migrants, emphasizing the importance of possible and future dimensions. Drawing on interviews with fifteen men from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Bangladesh who traveled the Balkan route to Trieste (Italy), the research examines how temporal influences, narrative disruptions, reverse cultural enrichment, and the significance of revenge shape their identities. Integrating biographical and interactional approaches, the study highlights how migrants use narratives to bridge past experiences with future aspirations, creating coherence in their personal histories. These narrative identities provide psychological resilience, meaning-making, and empowerment, allowing migrants to envision and actively shape their futures. By addressing the underexplored potential and future aspects of narrative identity, this research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of identity construction in the context of migration, offering insights into the dynamic and transformative power of narratives in shaping personal and social realities.