21–22 April 2015
The purpose of this workshop was to examine the interplay between individual and communal identity construction on the one hand and the political dimensions of diaspora in homeland and host states on the other. The workshop brought together scholars from various disciplines, working on questions regarding the role of diaspora in identity politics and ambivalences of belonging. Case studies included diaspora from Iran, North Africa, South Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Comparative studies of diaspora host and home state policies have also been considered (e.g. Canada, Russia, Gambia, UK, Netherlands).
This workshop was primarily interested in diaspora as promoters of cooperation. The growing prominence of diaspora communities around the world has led to increased recognition of the role they play in the domestic affairs of their respective homelands and as global actors. From the perspective of global cooperation it can be stated that diaspora communities who “wish to continue living on their own terms without becoming fully a part or entirely assimilated to their host society (…) may ultimately move the society towards a greater acceptance and recognition of difference” (Levy and Weingrod 2005: 17).
Venue: Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Schifferstraße 44, 47059 Duisburg
