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Home and Identity for Young Men of Mixed Descent

Home and Identity for Young Men of Mixed Descent

Queen Mary University of London
2009
319 pages

Akile Ahmet

Mixed descent identities span ethnic, religious, and cultural identities as well as race. This thesis addresses the multi-layered identities embodied by young men of mixed descent in relation to their ideas and lived experiences of home. I have adopted a feminist methodological approach to my research and have used three different types of methods to conduct this research: one to one interviewing (with repeat interviews), written electronic diaries and photo-voice.

Previous research on mixed descent and the home has located people of mixed descent as ‘homeless’ (see Ifekwuingwe, 1999, Garimara, 2002 and Carton, 2004). I place young men of mixed descent aged between 16-19 in homes, both in terms of dwelling spaces and wider ideas about belonging. The space of the home becomes a cultural site of their own identities and their family identities. Religious and cultural identities both via material possessions and emotional signifiers affect the identity of these young men and their definitions and experiences of home. These multiple identities are seen within the space of the home, particularly for those inhabiting the parental home. I address the multiple web of identity which these young embody via their religion, culture, ethnicity, and in some cases language. I move beyond the location of mixed race households and place this research inside the home space for young men of mixed descent. Alongside which I explore the idea of home as stretching’ (Gorman-Murray, 2006) beyond the scale of the private domestic into the public realm.

Table of Contents

  • TITLE PAGE
  • DECLARATION OF PhD
  • ABSTRACT
  • IMAGES AND TABLES
  • ACKNOWLEDEGMENTS
  • Chapter One: Introduction
  • Chapter Two: Methods and Methodology
  • Chapter Three: Autobiographies of Participants
  • Chapter Four: Understanding Mixed Descent and Gender
  • Chapter Five: Understanding Home and Identity
  • Chapter Six: Meanings of Mixed Descent: How do young Men of mixed descent ‘narrate their identities?
  • Chapter Seven: Exploring the Parental home: Experiences of Home and Mixed Descent
  • Chapter Eight: Definitions of Home for Young Men of Mixed Descent
  • Chapter Nine: Conclusions
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • APPENDIX

IMAGES AND TABLES

  • Images
    • 7.1 Tariq’s photo-voice: image of his hallway
    • 7.2 Tariq’s photo-voice: image of his hallway
    • 7.3 Tariq’s photo-voice: image of his front room
    • 8.1 Tariq’s photo-voice: image of his bedroom
    • 8.2 David’s photo-voice: image of his bedroom
    • 8.3 Craig and David’s photo-voice: image of their bedroom
    • 8.4 David’s photo-voice: image of his bedroom wall
    • 8.5 David’s photo-voice: image of his playstation games
    • 8.6 David’s photo-voice: image of David’s college
  • Tables
    • 2.1 Methods employed by each participant
    • 2.2 Timing of research
    • 2.3 Location of interviews
    • 2.4 Breakdown of participant backgrounds and living arrangements
    • 6.1 Outline of participants
    • 7.1 Outline of participants homes and living arrangements

Read the entire dissertation here.

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