Homemaking and belonging of Manado migrants in Balikpapan, Indonesia

From September 2014 till late January 2015 I have conducted ethnographic research in Balikpapan, Indonesia, making us of semi-structured interviews and participant observation. In this thesis I look at the different practices that help Manado migrants in their process of homemaking in Balikpapan, and how this affects their feelings of belonging. I state that homemaking is a never ending process, whereby through practices migrants are able to make sense of the new environment again and feel more at home (Ahmed 1999; Sandu 2013). Other migrants play a crucial role in this process and most relationships with fellow Manado migrants are established via churches, official Manado organizations, kinship ties and informal meetings. Several collective practices and activities stood out in the process of homemaking: participation in church related activities, the sharing of Manado food, speaking the Manado dialect and listening and/or playing Manado music. Following Stefansson (2006) I look at belonging as an attachment to a place, which I try to grasp by asking for people’s ‘final destination’: the place one wants to grow old. Feelings of belonging among Manado migrants are influenced by notions of the past and the place of origin, by practices of homemaking in the everyday life in Balikpapan and sometimes by future ambitions. Contrary to what many authors assume (see Blunt 2003; Fortier 1999; Sandu 2013; Skrbiš et al. 2007) I conclude that home and belonging do not necessarily hint towards the same, but rather that the process of homemaking is one factor affecting feelings of belonging in different ways