There and Back Again: the intertwining of educationally related (im)mobility choices of young adults from peripheral regions with contemporary identity and place narratives

This Ph.D. project explores how young adults’ life stories are intertwined with the higher education they choose and in which type of place they choose to live during and after their education. An increasing number of young adults are going to be graduating from higher educations, which makes these young adults’ choices relevant not only for themselves, as they make one of their first important life choices, but also for those regions, municipalities and educational institutions that endeavor to attract academically oriented young adults and graduates. Through questionaries, interviews and focus group interviews this project discovers that the current mainstream image of a constant flow towards urban regions of young adults is not the entire image. Instead, this project finds that young adults’ patterns of moving in relation to their education is multidirectional and complex. For contemporary young adults the opportunity of being able to narrate the ‘right’ identity and being in ‘right place’ which fits into higher education culture, as well as perceived understandings of transitioning into successful adulthood, is of vital importance. Therefore regions, municipalities and educational institutions who aim to attract academically oriented young adults should refrain from viewing out-migrated young adults as ‘leavers’, but instead focus on getting them ‘back again’ after they have been away and obtained their desired higher education and life story.