Paper short abstract:

The presentation presents an ethnographic study among lifestyle migrant children in Goa, India. It describes the children's transnationally mobile lifestyle and some of their social and cultural practices. In addition to ethnographic data, the presentation utilises photos and children's drawings.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation introduces my ethnographic study among lifestyle migrant children in Goa, India. There is an increasing number of Western families who repeatedly spend the winter months in Goa and the rest of the year somewhere else, usually in the parents' native countries. Searching for a better quality of life in Goa is the parents' choice but my research focuses on the children's experiences and conceptualisations. I argue that for the children, the transnational mobility is the state of normality. At the same time, they are constantly confronted with the current national order of things and the "sedentary norm" that it implies. Consequently, the children must constantly define and negotiate their place within that order. In my presentation, I use photos from Goa as well as children's drawings. I describe how the research was conducted and I discuss the transnationally mobile lifestyle that the children are leading as well as the social and cultural environment in which they live in Goa. I also show how the children give particular meanings to places that are significant for them. My presentation illustrates how anthropological approach can be used to study contemporary phenomena. My presentation also shows how rich (and colorful) data one can gain from intensive long-term ethnographic research.