‘Living in a world of ambivalence’: The complexity of home in exile

Abstract The concept of home is a complicated topic for many migrants, and the dynamics of forced migration add more complexity to the concept of home. This paper shows how exile and forced migration complicate the various dimensions of the home concept, leading to ambivalence in people’s relationships with their previous homes. In particular, the paper unpacks four dilemmas related to home that forced migrants might experience. These are as follows: what helps people connect with home triggers their difficult feelings, when homeland does not feel like home anymore, missing what no longer exists and wanting to connect with home but also disconnect. As I have direct and personal experience of exile, I used a heuristic methodology that involves self-search, self-dialogue, and self-discovery to understand the nature and meaning of the phenomena. I also interviewed 13 people in exile to explore the various aspects of forced migrants’ experiences with the concept of home.