Connecting the Dots: Conceptual Model

After presenting a wealth of empirical material to illustrate the complexity of observed social reality, which often includes conflicting and puzzling elements, the question emerges: is there some unifying pattern that could produce an overall explanation, re-storying the data “into a framework that makes sense” (Creswell, 2007, p.56)? This chapter aspires to provide the “intellectual satisfaction” (Blaikie, 2010, p. 71), promised by qualitative research by presenting a lower-level abstraction conceptual model as a response to the main theoretical problem. On a conceptual level, my study tackles the creation of a nexus between voluntary return migration, citizenship, home, belonging and a set of specific ‘political’ emotions. When laying out the foundation for my contribution, I defined the theoretical problem; reviewed the existing literature(s) to examine how the relevant concepts have been explored previously; and I identified the research gaps. The research design of my study operates within the interpretivist paradigm, which requires the researcher not only to observe social reality, but to understand and interpret it. This chapter aims to deliver an empathetic understanding, the Weberian notion of Verstehen, by offering a solution to the central theoretical problem.