Abstract
Starting from the premise that mobility is a fundamental social issue, this
article addresses the impact of mobility and place on identity. Three major
schools of thought addressing this issue are examined: the socio-historical
approach of Giddens (1991) and Bauman (1997, 2001) that describes a shift
over the last century from place-based (prescribed) identities to mobile
(achieved) identities; recent theories in sociology that see identity as mobile,
dynamic, hybrid, and relational; and recent theories in geography that consider
the relationship between place and identity. With reference to my own
research into the migration experiences of a group of young adults in Australia,
I argue that both mobility and place are essential components of identity construction
and discuss the complex inter-relationships between mobility, place,
and identity.