Abstract
This paper examines diasporic identity formation among Sudanese migrants in the U.K. From constructivist perspectives, diasporas form when mobilisations towards a ‘homeland’ initiate processes of collectively imagining that homeland. These mobilising agendas have been analysed as either emotional and/or political and correspond to processes of collective remembering, forgetting or future-making. Drawing on interviews with, and observations of, Sudan-born residents of the U.K., this paper examines diaspora formation among U.K. Sudanese. It asks what mobilising agendas unite U.K. Sudanese and what kinds of imaginative processes orient them towards their shared homeland(s). This investigation uncovers how multiple and seemingly contradictory processes of diasporic identity formation overlap within the same ‘national’ migrant community. It analyses how different mobilising agendas initiate imaginative processes of ‘past-making’ and ‘future-making’ which correspond to various types of diasporic identity. In doing so, this paper contributes to debates within constructivist approaches to diaspora formation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-19 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies |
Early online date | 6 Apr 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- Diaspora
- diasporic imagination
- diasporic mobilisation
- homelands
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute