Moving through deprived neighbourhoods

The paper explores representations and experiences of residential mobility into and out of deprived urban neighbourhoods. It identifies a particular representation of mobility that suggests that moving in should be avoided and moving out expected. This paper considers this view by exploring experiences of mobility in two deprived urban neighbourhoods. In considering the migration biographies of two neighbouring households, the paper reveals how such biographies provide a way of understanding migration decision-making in the context of a life-story. It also reveals ways in which mobility can impact upon how representations of place and individual identities are interpreted and presented. In conclusion, the paper cautions against the uncritical adoption of the term ‘culture of migration’. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd