Mobilising memories and practices from the past: Refugees’ belonging in the Norwegian outdoors

Abstract

The article explores the ways in which refugees engage with memories and practices from the past when practising and experiencing belonging in the Norwegian outdoors. Based on empirical material generated from walking interviews and field observations in two rural municipalities in north-western Norway, the following question is addressed: How are memories and practices from the past mobilised in refugees’ efforts to create belonging through participating in friluftsliv? The author argues that the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv presents opportunities for refugees to explore, develop, and engage with elements of familiarity. Familiarity connects symbolic similarities to the past through the activation of memories. However, attention is drawn to how belonging is performed against a backdrop of normativities that expect refugees to follow majority norms in the outdoors. The author concludes that reproducing these normativities allows for recognition, whereas contesting them through alternative practices creates a space in which refugees can create belonging in the Norwegian outdoors on their own terms.