On Hold: Exploring the Intersections of Indefinite Waiting and Island Phenomenology on Identity Formation Among Asylum Seekers in Lesvos

Abstract

This paper examines the identity-negotiation processes of young adult asylum seekers during prolonged waiting periods on the island of Lesvos, Greece. Integrating phenomenological perspectives and Dialogical Self Theory (DST), the study explores how the spatial–temporal dimensions of waiting influence identity formation processes. Drawing on 19 life-story interviews, complemented by participant observation, photovoice, and vignettes collected during fieldwork, the analysis highlights how the liminality of waiting, compounded by Lesvos’s specific island-border configuration, affects participants’ sense of self. Key findings show the psychosocial effects of indefinite waiting on personal agency and future aspirations, and uncover multiple identity positions ( I -positions) that emerge in response to spatial and temporal constraints within asylum processes. These I -positions reflect the continuous negotiation of identity amid procedural uncertainty. The study contributes to island and migration studies by showing how islandness is not experienced as a uniform condition, but becomes internally differentiated in psychosocial processes of identity formation under forced waiting and liminality.