De reconstructie van identiteit in de context van migratie : de taalkeuzes en identiteit van Griekse migranten in Nederland

Abstract

Research on identity has shown that after migration, a reconstruction of identity follows. In this thesis the question was raised if length of residence, the prospect of remigration and the reason for migration affects the language choice and identity of Greek migrants living in the Netherlands. A questionnaire was designed and spread among the target group in order to answer the research question. It was found that the length of residence, the prospect of remigration and the reason for migration affect the language choice, but only the first two factors affect the identity. More specific, Greek migrants in the Netherlands rely heavily on the use of English. In addition, when migrants live in the Netherlands for a longer period of time, they use Dutch more often. The migrants who do not plan on returning to Greece also use Dutch more often than those planning on returning. Surprisingly, the economic migrants use more Dutch than non-economic migrants. The identity changes through time from a Greek/English oriented identity into a Dutch/English oriented identity. Also the migrants who are not planning on returning to Greece have a higher degree of Dutch orientated identity. This research has shown that a quantitative research method is able to capture the dynamic characteristics of identity. Furthermore suggestions are made for future research.