Translocal space across migrant generations: the case of a Greek orthodox church in the UK

Abstract

This paper examines the changing importance of translocal space to three generations of Greek Cypriot migrants in the United Kingdom. Focusing on a Greek Orthodox Church, the paper draws upon participant observations and interviews to examine how translocal space is given meaning by migrants and, in turn, how the meaning and use of translocal space is renegotiated and altered by later generations. Based on this evidence, we argue that translocal space strengthens community ties and offers a way of performing particular ideas of identity and culture. It provides social and cultural links to distant people and places through shared religious practices. Furthermore, an intergenerational perspectives allows us to understand how translocal places are reproduced, challenged, and changed by successive generations. In doing so, the paper advances our understanding of translocality, the different ways that translocal space is used by migrant generations, and the changing significance of places of worship to migrant identities.