Contemporary Identifications and Transnational Flows: Transnational Social Fields and Identifications of the “Ryanair Generation” of Irish Migrants

ABSTRACT
The article focuses on certain issues related to contemporary identifications in the transnational social sphere which are a result of reflexive considerations of the individual’s position in the social environment, but also simultaneously depend on particular predispositions shaped through ongoing interactions between traditions, worldviews and values of the individual’s context of origin. The main aim is to demonstrate the potential of the concept of social fields in its transnational variant and connect theargumentation to the Irish transnational diaspora. The paper draws insight from in-depth interviewswhich were obtained using the ethnographic method. The concept of the transnational social field is capable of shedding light on the dynamics of identity constructions which in the transnational sphere are more specific. A substantial role is played by the individual’s ability to access to various types of capital. Further, the transition between particular fields enables more intensive reflexivity and a consideration of an individual’s actions and also of the institutional frames in which they are embedded. Transnational layers of identities can thus take on instrumental meanings and allow individuals to have greater control over their lives and more easily achieve their goals.
KEY WORDS: Irish diaspora, transnational habitus, identifications