Soundscapes of belonging: Auditory memory, migration and transcultural identity among Sri Lankan migrants in Melbourne

The auditory dimension of memory offers a compelling lens for understanding how Sri Lankan migrants in Melbourne reconstruct cultural memory and belonging through everyday sound practices. The study draws on collaborative arts-based methods – including sonic ethnography, autoethnography and a/r/tography (the interconnected practice of artist, researcher and teacher). It involves the co-production of a sound artwork by participants entitled ‘Sounds from the Past’, involving listening, voice and collaborative composition. It introduces the concept of ‘sonic counter-memory’ to describe how everyday soundscapes function as affective sites of resistance, identity-making and intergenerational transmission. Through three dimensions of anchoring cultural memory, collective sonic practice and sonic sovereignty, the article shows how Sri Lankan migrants in Melbourne create sound practices that challenge dominant cultural soundscapes. The research contributes to memory studies by demonstrating how auditory practices enable new forms of transcultural belonging while maintaining cultural distinctiveness.