ABSTRACT
Written in the spirit of autobiographical sociology, the chapter delves into my sense of belonging to places in Nepal inhered in my biography. I discuss place as, among other things, characterised by a web of social relations that inhabitants of a place are enveloped in. Highlighting how place belonging and relational belonging are intertwined in one’s subjectivity, I underscore that the experience of a place is socially mediated and place belonging is also socially negotiated. By narrating my sense of belonging to places and my changing relationships to/in those places, I demonstrate that belonging is a function of one’s social experiences, which do not remain static. I substantiate the fluidity and multidimensionality of belonging through my personal account as well as through other instances. The lens of belonging clarifies the dynamic connection between the self and the social, as evident in my chapter. It is this dynamicity of the connection that ensures no final closure for one’s sense of belonging.
