The Dawning Periphery: Processes of Place Awareness among Highly Specialized International Work Migrants on Two Danish Islands

Abstract

This article explores processes of place knowledge formation based on an ethnographic study among highly specialized international work migrants on two islands in the so-called ‘Peripheral Denmark.’ The article investigates the internationals’ expectations and motivations for relocating to Denmark and their experiences of settling into daily life. The analysis shows that their work and workplace are central arenas for the formative knowledge process during which the internationals gradually become aware of the ‘peripheral conditions’ of the islands. I unpack this dawning periphery awareness and show how it influences re-evaluations of the islands as places of opportunity.

Keywords

• international recruitment
• highly specialized migrants
• peripheral denmark
• place knowledge through work