Where are you from? Where is your home? Do you miss home?
These are questions that Efa E. Etoroma—born in Nigeria—has frequently been asked since moving to Canada in 1978.
In this autoethnography, the Concordia University of Edmonton professor examines his views on what home really is and his struggles to feel a true sense of belonging anywhere he has lived.
Explained with candor and occasional vulnerability, Home: Reflections on Marginality and Belonging is told from the perspective of a marginalized Black, Christian immigrant, but his story is relatable to anyone who has felt alienated or had a crisis of identity.
Efa shares his personal experiences of growing up in post-colonial northern Nigeria, raised Anglican amongst mostly Muslims, and fleeing to the southern region as a child, shortly after the start of the Nigerian Civil War. Then he recounts moving to Canada to attend school but staying upon meeting his future Canadian-born wife. He explores his connection with Black Pentecostal churches as well as his thoughts on grieving, death, and aging away from his homeland.
Supporting these experiences, Efa incorporates an abundance of research for a wider cultural and social context. Home: Reflections on Marginality and Belonging is part snapshot of the author's life—a way of identifying who he is and where he is from—part answer to the questions, "Where are you from" and "Where is your home," and part exploration of the micro-level contradictions of social change brought about by modern society.
