Temporal Borders of Europe: Writing Self and Home in Migrant Life Narratives in Australia

For many migrants it is the memory of the place they left, reconfigured by other temporal aspects of their experiences, that gives contours to what they often call home. Reflecting on life narratives created by those who identify themselves with a region through the memory of it enhances our appreciation of individual and collective experiences, but also meaningfully contributes to developing a more nuanced understanding of a place as a temporal reality and migration – commonly viewed in spatial terms – as a temporal experience. It also invites us to engage with the idea of border as a temporal device. This article explores temporal borders of home and multiple ways in which migrants of East Central European background, who came to Australia following the Second World War, attempt to (re)define Europe as home and themselves in the context of post-war displacement.