In search of a ‘normal place’. The geographical imaginaries of Eastern European students in Denmark

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among Eastern European students enrolled in master’s programmes in Denmark, this article sheds light on the dominant geographical imaginaries, which have informed their decision to pursue an education abroad. Difficulties in aligning their life with a desired life trajectory in their home countries make the students long for a new beginning in a foreign land. They imagine Scandinavia as a place of abundant opportunities–a normal place, which will allow them to unite their inner desires with their social realities. These imaginaries reflect an overarching narrative of ‘the West’ as a place that offers a superior mode of existence.