Identity and class amongst Nepali female migrants in Portugal

Our theoretical framework seeks to articulate the dynamics of identity construction and negotiation of belonging in migrant women with aspects related to social mobility and class self-classification, as a symbolic component of self-perception that situates and influences the integration and social relations established by migrant women. We start with a research question about the relationship between class self-classification amongst two generations of Nepali females in Portugal and the construction of compound identities by migrants. In methodological terms, we used NVIVO 11 software to qualitatively analyze the data collected from 30 sociodemographic questionnaires and 30 semi-structured interviews (1hr30mins) with 20 1st generation migrant Nepali women in Lisbon’s Metropolitan Region (AML) and 10 2nd generation migrant Nepali women. We analyzed specifically the identity dimension and the class self-classification subcategory. In addition, we collected data from ethnographic research, participant observation and the field diary. The results obtained demonstrate that class self-classification in two generations of Nepali femalesin Portugal and the social mobility resulting from migration dialectically influence the construction and negotiation of identity amongst these migrants, determining results in terms of their social exclusion or inclusion.