Hospitality and Agency in Young Refugees’ Everyday Relationships: A Study of Mutual Becoming

Abstract

This study asks how former unaccompanied minors in Finland practice hospitality and reciprocity with those they value, both locally and transnationally, and how agency emerges in these encounters as they rebuild sustainable lives despite challenges. Previous research often frames unaccompanied minors and other young refugees primarily as aid recipients within support systems, overlooking their agency and capacity to shape their own social worlds. Drawing on Derrida's concept of hospitality and Burkitt's theory of relational agency, this study examines how everyday interactions transform hierarchical power relations into spaces of mutual transformation. It analyses visual social network maps generated through individual interviews with 12 young refugees and paired interviews with 12 individuals from their social networks. The findings reveal a shift from conditional, institutional support toward unconditional hospitality characterized by reciprocity, mutual care, trust and support. The research underscores the transformative potential of hospitality as a space for mutual becoming and co-agency.