Global Networks 10, 4 (2010). ISSN 1470–2266. © 2010 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd & Global Networks Partnership 467 Free floating in the cosmopolis? Exploring the identity-belonging of transnational knowledge workers VAL COLIC-PEISKER Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne 3001 VIC, Australia val.colic-peisker@rmit.edu.au Abstract In this article I explore what I call the ‘identity-belonging’ of trans- national knowledge workers, a diverse group of serially migrating career professionals who have spent extended periods of time in at least three countries, usually following career opportunities. Unlike most recent writing on trans- nationalism, which focuses on enduring connections of migrants with their ‘home’ countries/places, here I explore a transnationalism that may transcend the national, and generally the territorial, principle, with repercussions for identity-belonging. In this context, how transnational knowledge workers position themselves towards belonging to a nation and towards the idea of cosmopolitanism is of particular interest. From data collected through in-depth interviews in Australia and Indonesia, I conclude that their globally recognized profession forms the central axis of their identity-belonging, alongside a weak identification with their nation of origin. The feeling of belonging to and identifying with particular locales and local communities was articulated flexibly and instrumentally in association with professional and wider social networks, while no primordial territorial attachments could be identified. Keywords MOBILITY, TRANSNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE WORKERS, IDENTITY-BELONGING, PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY, NATIONAL IDENTITY, COSMOPOLITANISM Over the past several decades, the scope of global communication and spatial mobility has expanded considerably. In a recent address, Castles (2007) argued for a strong connection of migration studies with the major processes of social transformation. I apply the important, albeit largely neglected, heuristic role of spatial mobility to our understanding of the identity-belonging of a growing number of transnational knowledge workers (TKWs). TKWs are people who have lived and worked in at least three countries, including their country of origin, for at least a year, with a year implying residency rather than a visit. 1