On identity, migration, and liminality: Perspectives from South Asians and Africans in Hong Kong

There is growing interest in researching the relationship between space and identity in migration contexts (Piazza, 2019). One of the ways migrants express their place-identity are the liminal experiences living in a foreign place—that is, individuals’ positions of being “betwixt and between” (Turner, 1969, p. 95) their life transitions. While there is noticeable research of migration experiences of Mainland Chinese (Chan & Chen, 2023) and domestic migrant workers (Ladegaard, 2017) to Hong Kong, there is a relative paucity with South Asian and African counterparts.

In response, Bucholtz and Halls’s (2005) framework and theme-oriented discourse analysis (Roberts & Sarangi, 2005) are used to investigate the liminal and identity experiences of the first-generation South Asian and African economic migrants in Hong Kong. The pilot study of interviews with six participants reveals three main themes: establishing stability in life transitions, increased complexity from university students to working adults, and Hong Kong as a stepping stone to their desired final destination. These findings reflect how Hong Kong to them is both an abode of utility, but also a hub marked by temporariness.