Diasporas, Migrations and Identities
IASH Research
Theme: June 2005 - August 2007
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Conference: "Belonging
in the New Europe: A Scottish Perspective" - 13-14
September 2007
Click here for details
Context
This theme was run in conjunction with the Arts and Humanities Research Council's 'Diasporas, Migrations and Identities' programme, full details of which may be found at http://www.ahrb.ac.uk/apply/research/sfi/ahrcsi/diasporas_migration_identities.asp
Description
The following description of the scope of the theme is taken from the AHRC website:
What is meant by the terms 'diasporas', 'migration' and 'identities'?
These concepts are contested ones for which many definitions have been offered. They indicate social and cultural processes involving the movement of people, ideas and things, the effects of such movement on the formation of subjectivities, identities, and connections, and on representations of past places and people, of journeying and settling, of border crossings and new possibilities.
These terms provide both a canopy and a starting point for research, but they are open to criticism and negotiation, and may be discarded for more fruitful or historically relevant terms. 'Diasporas' and 'migration' may be treated singly or together, but 'identities' must be treated in engagement with one or both of these. The term 'migration' is taken to include voluntary, economic and coerced modes, as well as postmigration settlement. Although the concept of 'diaspora' normally implies a preceding process of migration, interesting questions emerge in the contemporary global context about the possibility of non-migrant diasporas. New research directions which build on the study of mobility and movement, hospitality and contact zones, translation, cosmopolitanism, creolization, and subjectivity, to name just a few recent developments, are welcomed.
Programme priorities
The priorities of the programme are linked to its objectives. They will have a bearing on the evaluation of applications and the shaping of a coherent programme. These are presented here, in no particular order of importance.
With due consideration to range and coherence, priority will be given to,
(a) research that interrogates existing terminology and explores new concepts (as well as analogous ones from other cultural contexts) for the study of diasporas, migration and identities;
(b) research that explores new approaches or methods for studying diasporas, migration and identities;
(c) research that develops new theories on diasporas, migration and identities, and/or on the engagement between these matters and broader questions in such areas as history, philosophy, epistemology, ontology, language, literature, belief, practice, law, values, ethics and the arts;
(d) research that will change the way that diasporas, migration and identities are understood, either through historical, comparative, practice-led or innovative case studies focused in or beyond the UK;
(e) research that takes an arts and humanities approach to addressing current UKbased issues relating to diasporas and migration and the identities associated with them;
(f) applications which, as part of their remit, prioritise (i) research collaboration with the cultural sector (e.g. museums, galleries, heritage sector, cultural industries, the media), (ii) engagement with public, voluntary or community bodies to share knowledge and develop outcomes of mutual interest and benefit, or (iii) the development of outputs directed at a wide non-academic audience (e.g. web pages, exhibitions, performances, public lectures or presentations).
(g) projects, workshops and networks that promote interdisciplinarity or build new connections as an outcome of their activity.
These priorities conform with the objectives of the programme in stimulating high quality, internationally significant research which is original and innovative, in addressing issues of collaboration, knowledge exchange, and dissemination beyond the academy, and in focusing on the particular contribution that the arts and humanities can make to knowledge and understanding of diasporas, migration and identities. In addition to fulfilling one or more of the above, applicants may have their own priorities, the commissioning panel will be open to these as well as to the coherence of the programme as a whole in its deliberations.
This indicates a possible range of relevant projects, but should not be
taken as prescriptive as far as IASH activities and applications are concerned.
We encourage participation from colleagues across the Arts and Social
Sciences.
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