Maintaining transnational social fields, the role of visits to Bangladesh for British Bangladeshi children

The visit is a key experience in the socialisation of British Bangladeshi children. It is an emotional and sensory rollercoaster for children which challenges and confirms their sense of who they are. For, while they enjoy some aspects of the visit, they find others deeply unsettling. Visits to Sylhet in Bangladesh give children a lasting lesson in both Sylheti beliefs and practices and their own sense of belonging. Their deep, embodied sense of disorientation makes children feel that they do not belong in Sylhet, despite the importance of the people, places and practices they encounter. This paper explores the impact of visits on British Bangladeshi children's identities and argues that these experiences help to create a distinct British Bangladeshi transnational social field and habitus.