Between Recognition and Belonging: Gifted Adults with a Migration Background Across the Lifespan

This study examines how giftedness is experienced by adults with a migration background, addressing a gap in the literature, in which giftedness and migration are typically studied as separate domains. Drawing on talent development perspectives and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, giftedness is conceptualized as a context-dependent developmental process shaped by sociocultural environments. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. The findings indicate that giftedness is not consistently recognized across contexts but is mediated by educational practices, cultural expectations, and social positioning. Participants described recurring experiences of underrecognition and the need to validate their abilities, reflecting how dominant norms influence the identification of giftedness. In addition, the results highlight the central role of belonging and identity, with participants navigating multiple contexts and experiencing persistent misalignment. For some participants, additional identity-related dimensions, such as adoption and religion, intensified processes of meaning-making. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing giftedness and migration background as mutually constitutive and by demonstrating how early recognition processes and structural inequalities shape developmental trajectories across the lifespan. These findings underline the need for more context-sensitive and inclusive models of giftedness.