Theorizing Immigrants and Home

Ambiguity in cross-cultural meanings is an unavoidable problem in the everyday life of immigrants. In particular, the meaning of home is enigmatic because immigrants are divided around the notion of what is their proper “place”. Furthermore, the notion of being modern makes immigrants’ loyalty to place enigmatic. Where do immigrants belong? In this paper, I will present phenomenological research to understand the meanings of home in the life-world of immigrants. In addition, theorizing seeks to reveal underlying structure of disharmonies covered by linguistic ritual that tends to make such instabilities appear harmonious in any order (Blum, 2017). Guided by this principle, my research will theorize how meanings are made in situations with differing cultural expectations in the particular case of immigrants’ pursuit of “home” in Canada.