Identity negotiation is an often-overlooked process that adult immigrants actively experience through language learning, because for adult immigrants, learning is not only a means to an end (passing a language test, obtaining citizenship, joining the work force, or gaining study rights) but a process in which our identity is redefined by newly learned linguistic and cultural norms and by interactions with proficient speakers and other learners.

Identity is to be understood as a flexible set of beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of an individual which have been learned and are adjusted through social interaction and which influences the individual’s future actions. This understanding of identity is based on the work of Bonny Norton, who has extensively researched and discussed identity in relation to adult immigrants learning English in the US and Canadian context. Norton views language learning and identity from a poststructuralist perspective, drawing especially from Christine Weedon’s ‘subjectivity’, and from a sociological perspective, using the work of Pierre Bourdieu to highlight the power relations present in language use, learning and interactions.

Weedon uses the term ‘subjectivity’ to refer to a persons’ sense of ‘self’ including thoughts, feelings, and understandings of our relationship to the world. Language, for Weedon is where our ‘self’ is constructed, given meaning, and even challenged. Norton points out that, subjectivity also reminds us that identity and language is to be understood in relation to others and considering the power dynamic in these relationships.

Power relations in social interactions can be further understood by using the interrelated concepts of ‘habitus’, ‘capital’, and ‘field’ by Bourdieu. Habitus can be understood as a person’s history internalized into ideas, rules, language, and physical traits; Bourdieu also coined the term ‘language habitus’ as dispositions which show competences and strategies used in linguistic interactions adapted to different situations. The accumulation of this ‘history’ becomes valued ‘capital’ depending on the ‘field’ of interaction and the power relations in them. Though heavily centred in economics, the interplay between habitus, capital, and field becomes relevant in identity research with adult immigrants because it brings forth the sometimes-opposing forces present in their every interaction. Adult immigrants’ internalized history, may or may not be considered valuable in their new country; their language competences and strategies, may or may not be considered acceptable or worth responses. It is because and through these opposing forces that identities are negotiated.

Adding to Norton’s work, this research focuses on Finland and Finnish language. Unlike English, Finnish is a language that is often considered very difficult and slow to learn; it is used by a relatively small population worldwide and mostly restricted to residents; learning through other media like has only become available until recent years, and availability is still very limited. Most adult immigrants in Finland learn Finnish in intensive integration courses. The main objective is to help them integrate into work or study, but it is important to emphasize that learning a language, as stated before, affects the person as a whole, not only their status.

This is why this research aims to answer: how do adult immigrants in Finland negotiate their identities through language learning?

Even though the focus is on Finland and Finnish language, this research may be of use to other countries across the globe that may have a challenging to learn language, limited availability of language users, similar language integration courses, or overall interest in the process of identity negotiation. The research can be replicated in other contexts and results may offer a starting point for discussions about the suitability of language education for adult immigrants’ complex lives.

This is a qualitative, longitudinal, case research, which started in 2021 and is still ongoing. Research is based in the city of Turku, Finland and, so far, involves 9 adult immigrants who are or were studying Finnish in language integration courses during 2021, 2022 and 2023. Participants have been interviewed while studying in language integration courses and some have participated in follow-up interviews once their course was completed. It is important to have more than one interview session, as it is more likely to capture differences across time as the learning progresses and the participants’ life situations change. Interviews are semi-structured and narrative oriented, inviting participants to share as much as they want about their stories, focusing as much as possible on Finnish language learning and living as an immigrant in Finland. Analysis of the interview data is still ongoing.

Preliminary results from the first round of interviews during the language courses illustrate the experience of participants as they arrive in Finland, their first interactions with other language learners, government officials or institutions in charge of integration, and institutions where courses take place. In the interviews, participants have mentioned conflicting subject positions with contradictory expected behaviours. For example, participants are often regarded as passive compliant students, who are told where to take courses, at what time, and for how long, and when to find a job placement. On the other hand, they are also expected to actively apply for the integration courses, often by spouses or other family members and not by authorities, or to look for job placements, often with little to no help from their language instructors or institutions, with some participants emphasizing how difficult it was to know what to expect or what to do next. The job placement search and participation has also been mentioned by most participants as a turning point in their lives in Finland and can be taken as an example of identity negotiation. While in the job placement, participants have found new career opportunities, accepting that their previous careers or professional roles may not be sufficient or accepted in Finland they have considered continuing their studies in a different field; others have reaffirmed their identities as professionals in their field and rejected the option of changing studies or disregarding their previous education and work experience.

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