Ghanaian migrants and the culturalization of citizenship in Europe: What does autochthony and belonging have to do with it?

Abstract

This chapter analyses the perspectives of Ghanaian returnees and potential migrants regarding the changing definition of European citizenship, and the impact on their feelings of ‘home’ and ‘belonging’. Their autochthony was important for migrants in terms of maintaining their identity and culture and this partly defined their difference in the European host country. A qualitative research method involving extensive interviews is used to gain insight into the issues of citizenship, autochthony and belonging. Ghanaian migrants exhibited an instrumental approach to the acquisition of citizenship in Europe and were sceptical of ‘belonging’ there. This was in part due to Ghanaians’ ‘culture of migration’ and the increasing culturalization of citizenship. Yet, migrants distinguished between an ‘economic’ and ‘social’ belonging regarding Ghana, where locals’ perception of them as autochthons, was very important. They also tended to hold on to ‘restorative emotive’ ideas of citizenship in relation to their culture and home country Ghana.