Conference: Bringing Migration and History into the Equation: Re-Imagining Nationhood and Belonging
Berlin, Germany | Jewish Museum
Migration poses challenges to European societies as we know them today; indeed, the inclusion of immigrants in these societies has become a controversial issue in most European countries.
Both of these statements are reflected in ongoing debates in numerous European countries. All too often, immigrants are seen as “Others” when it comes to constructing national cohesion and patterns of belonging and identity. The “Othering” of immigrants, perhaps best seen as a process of social construction and engineering, is closely interrelated with social, economic, linguistic and, increasingly, religious questions.
However, immigrant inclusion and exclusion cannot be regarded without reference to historical, cultural and symbolic questions. Thus the analysis of identity formation and collective identities in multiethnic societies brings the political scope of identity politics, historical representations and national narratives to the fore. It entails theoretical and practical questions of (newly) constituting nationhood and transcultural belonging, as well as re-positioning ethnic/migrant minorities in the public sphere.
This conference, Bringing Migration and History into the Equation: Re-Imagining Nationhood and Belonging, will address this intersection of migration, identity formation and belonging from comparative and historical perspectives. The emphasis will be on the intersection of history, politics and commemorative practices/strategies.
Organized by:
Network Migration in Europe e.V. in cooperation with Bahçesehir University (Istanbul), Jewish Museum Berlin, Zentrum für Türkeistudien und Integrationsforschung (Essen)