“This is your life you have to live with the memories”: Older migrant women’s reflections on living with the past

Memories collected across the life-course often inform our sense of who we are and what is important to us, as we grow older. This article draws on the findings of two qualitative life-history research projects that set out to explore older UK migrant women’s quality of life across the life course. It has two main aims. One aim is to contribute to existing theorizations of social memory. Another aim is to show the extent to which migrant women’s memories of life-altering events influence their satisfaction with life as they grow older. The article concludes by arguing for an approach to the study of ageing that is sensitive to the impact of memories on our experiences of growing older.