Materialities and imaginaries of home: Geographies of British returnees in later life

Abstract

This paper explores home materialities and home imaginaries in later life, to provide insight into the dialectical relation between the spatial processes of ageing and migration. The paper draws on empirical research with British return migrants in older age. The analysis purposively selects four participants from among a wider sample of interviewees to highlight some of the diversity among British returnees and their varied experiences of remaking home on return. The paper explores both the privilege and vulnerabilities of all British returnees as the meaning of home transforms in later life.