Hybrid identities and interconnected spacialities: The role of cricket in the settlement of Sri Lankan migrants in New Zealand

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which Sri Lankan migrants in New Zealand establish a sense of continuity between the host nation and country of origin by forging interconnected spatialities. Particular attention is paid to the complex and fluid cultural identities of migrants, evident in their negotiations of place through material social practices. Drawing insights from postcolonial, Indigenous and social practice scholarship, we focus on cricket as a social practice that has become entangled within the settlement experiences of our participants who have moved from one postcolonial nation to another. This research foregrounds the agency and resilience of migrants, and acknowledges the complexities of postcolonial identities in the context of migration.