ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Migration and Society
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1619372
This article is part of the Research TopicMigration, Identity, Citizenship and Conflict in the Globalized WorldView all 3 articles
Emplacement of Trauma in Migrant Spaces: Non-Places and Unhomeliness in Living Undocumented and Stateless
Provisionally accepted
Angel Treesa Joseph
Rashmi Rekha Borah*- Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, India
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Migration often places individuals into spaces that lack stability, familiarity, and personal connection. This paper investigates the emplacement of trauma in non-places, focusing on the experiences of immigrants as depicted in the Netflix series Living Undocumented (2019) and Stateless (2020). Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of Marc Augé's non-places and Homi Bhabha's concept of unhomeliness, the study analyzes how these liminal spaces strip migrants of their identity, destabilize their sense of belonging, and intensify their emotional and psychological distress. The analysis examines how non-places contribute to feelings of dislocation, alienation, and cultural trauma, intensifying the struggles associated with identity and belonging in unfamiliar territories. By analyzing the interaction between individuals and these non-spaces, the paper highlights a complex layer of emotional and cultural estrangement often overlooked in discussions of migration. The article argues for a re-evaluation of immigration policies, advocating for approaches that emphasize empathy, inclusion, and respect for human dignity. This research contributes to the evolving discourse on migration, identity, and space, calling for a paradigmatic shift in perspective on how non-places impact the lives of migrants.
Keywords: Non-place, unhomeliness, Trauma, Migration, Dislocation
Received: 28 Apr 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Joseph and Borah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rashmi Rekha Borah, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, India
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