‘It Is My Turn To Give’: Migrants' Perceptions of Gift Exchange and the Maintenance of Transnational Identity

Abstract

This paper reports on research conducted with Kenyan migrants in the United Kingdom concerning the support they provide to chronically ill relatives in Kenya. Using qualitative research, we explore the meaning of this support, particularly in relation to the maintenance of transnational identity. The provision of support is considered in the context of gift exchange, and notions of intrinsic reward, reciprocity, obligation, sacrifice, religious conviction and identity are discussed. The research suggests that gift exchange and the maintenance of identity among Kenyan migrants may contribute to a sense of subjective wellbeing.