Historically, the English word ‘belonging’ referred to a condition or a class of things that share a similarity: “equally long, corresponding in length, parallel to, accompanying as a property or attribute.” In this context, belonging was about the association between things regardless of locations or formal attachments. Similarly, in mathematics, ‘belonging’ was about the shared characteristic instead of being in the same place. Later, some argued that ‘belonging’ became more evident when there was a distance between the two similar entities. The word belonging subsequently developed spatial associations.
In another language and culture, the Arabic word ‘intima’ for the English word ‘belonging’ means “to grow, thrive, prosper, multiply, flourish and make progress.” It implies an activity that needs time to unfold. Due to earlier Arabic nomadic lifestyle, ‘belonging’ had no territorial connotation. Instead, belonging took shape in the form of ancestors’ language. Poetry represented the collective identity and memory. Subsequently, the term to ‘be in’ and to ‘long for’ became closely related, confirming the connotation of ‘belonging’ as well as marking the distance between two separated identities. Affirmation of one’s ‘be/ing’ through ‘long/ing,’ and the tradition of longing for a distant home thus become the aesthetic expression in Arab culture.
Gradually, the English word ‘belonging’ which carries a spatial connotation between two entities seems to have influenced the meaning of the word ‘intima’ in the Arabic expression. Similarly, the words ‘growth and prosperity’ from the Arabic definition of ‘belonging’ which refers to development and increase in material possessions is considered to have crossed over into English language resulting in the current English meaning of ‘belonging’ as form of ‘ownership’ and ‘possession.’
For immigrants, the concept of ‘belonging’ is problematic. Their experience and hybridity become the dynamism of many cultures, challenges and redefines dominant notions of belonging, home, and identity. The influence of such changes upon society are particularly uncomfortable and often seen as a threat.
Rozana Lee is of Indonesian-Chinese heritage. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Auckland University of Technology and a MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts at University of Auckland graduating in 2018. Recent exhibitions include Two Oceans at Once (ST PAUL St, Auckland, 2019) and To Begin Again (George Fraser Gallery, Auckland, 2018). Lee was a finalist in several art awards, including the Wallace Art Awards and the Parkin Drawing Prize. She has undertaken an artist residency at INSTINC, Singapore, in 2016, and is making her way to Making Space, Guangzhou, China, for a residency and exhibition in May 2019.
