Paper short abstract:

The paper analyses the strategies developed by migrants from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh in New York that meet the fulfilment of the upward mobility aspirations and how they negotiate their indigenous belonging in local and transnational space.

Paper long abstract:

A growing number of so-called indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts migrate to New York City in search of a "better life" and attempt to escape from a situation defined by deprivation and exclusion in the region, where neither peace building initiatives nor indigenous identity politics could change their marginal status. Seeking job opportunities, highly appreciated education and professional carriers in the 'land of freedom and prosperity', their aspirations are fundamentally geared towards upward mobility. The paper asks first: How do the migrants react when such aspirations clash with the reality of low income jobs, when former achievements and experiences are depreciated and opportunities for upward-mobility are denied? The data reveal that the migration experience adds a new layer of marginalization and longing for home seems to be a prevalent emotional stance. Return, however, does not emerge as a short-term goal and migrants develop several strategies to cope with the situation. One response to marginalization pursued in terms of diasporic self-organization relates to resistance against the strongly perceived danger of assimilation. Another strategy to master the migratory experience is commitment for political activism on behalf of the people living in the CHT. By analysing these strategies in relation to religion, the family, culture and politics, the paper reveals individual and collective strategies to construct and maintain belonging in transnational and local space.