Migration, Diaspora and Exile

Population displacement, diaspora and exile are phenomena recurrent in the histories and cultures of Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. As civil conflict, political repression and foreign occupation have created, fractured or destroyed empires, states and societies, the resulting migration of populations has dislocated social, ethnic and national identities, as well as uprooting the lives of countless families and individuals. The prevalence of displacement, diaspora and exile in both the past and present of the region, and their role in shaping narratives of national destiny and identity among regional populations, underwrites the significance of research into these forces.

Research on migration, diaspora and exile includes:

• research into historical population displacement, in relation to state-building and the construction of social identities.
• narratives of dislocation, travel, resettlement and of return
• the experience of trauma, displacement, diaspora and exile
• the ‘construction’ of refugees as objects of policy in host countries.

Dr Sarah Badcock
Dr Nick Baron
Dr Dejan Djokic
Dr David Norris
Dr Vanessa Pupavac

Summary of expertise