'Going Home': The reality of imagined connections among young migrants in Belgium

Following literature on home, space and place from anthropology, sociology, and human geography, this paper seeks to rethink the notions of home and homelessness in order to investigate experiences of the public street and how young migrants make connections and imagine their place in the city of Brussels. Drawing on time spent with participants at protest marches, art events and interviews, this paper explores the ways in which legal migratory status, racism, xenophobia, familiarity, and community belonging impact migrants’ appropriation of city streets and how the public space of the city street can become a personal home.