Identity negotiation, pathways to housing and "place": The experience of refugees in Glasgow

The links between how individuals construct and negotiate identity as they navigate their way through the housing system and "place" have, to date, not been explicitly articulated. Yet, greater understanding of such links is important given the significance of location of housing in decision-making processes and the often close relationship between "who we are" and "where we are". The site of the current study is the city of Glasgow, one of the main sites in the UK for the government's policy of "no-choice" dispersal. Based on empirical data from individual interviews with 32 refugees and a sample of housing and other service providers, this paper explores the usefulness of the housing pathways approach to understanding the experiences of refugees in this city. It reveals that the housing pathways approach has much to offer as an analytical tool for illuminating the specific nature of refugees' contact with, and progression through, the housing system and their changing identity/identities. More explicit links with "place" within the framework as the site for negotiated identity are important for understanding whether or not refugees choose to stay in the city or move on, and their negotiation of identity in the longer term. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.