1st Edition

Migration and Identity

By Andor Skotnes Copyright 2005
    212 Pages
    by Routledge

    199 Pages
    by Routledge

    The theme of Migration and Identity is of special concern at a time both of massive worldwide migration and of apparently intensifying national, ethnic, and racial conflicts. Problems of migration and the resulting reconfigurations of social identity are fundamental issues for the twenty-first century. This volume spans the whole complex global web of migratory patterns with contributions linking Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America, without losing the particularities of local and personal experience.

    This paperback edition in the Memory and Narrative series explores these issues and the sustaining or abandoning of memory and identity as people move between fundamentally different cultures, in a number of recent social settings, from a number of methodological perspectives. These focused "case studies" offer glimpses into the interior migration experiences, into the processes of constructing and reconstructing identity without forgetting that, both theoretically and empirically, the problem of identity is complex and multifaceted. All of the essays rely heavily on oral history and personal testimony, highlighting the experience of individuals and small groups, without ignoring the tension that exists between the local and the global.

    Memories of oppression or totalitarianism are one of the driving forces behind some of these migrations; and the transmission of memories and myths between family generations is one of the ways in which migrations are interpreted. In looking both backward and forward, Migration and Identity, offers an acute view of migratory patterns and their impact on the newcomers and the local cultures. It will be of interest to cultural and oral historians and researchers of concerned with migration and integration.

    Introduction to the Transaction Edition, List of Contributors, 1. Some Reflections on Migration and Identity, 2. In Search of Safe Haven: Exile, Immigration, and Identity, 3. The Apple and the Olive Tree: Exile, Sojoumers, and Tourists in the University, 4. The Senegalese Immigrants in Bari: What Happens When the Africans Peer Back, 5. On Becoming a Citizen: The Story of Dona Marlene, 6. Identity, Racism, and Multiculturalism: Chinese-Australian Responses, 7. Ethiopian Jews Encounter Israel: Narratives of Migration and the Problem of ldentity, 8. Family and Identity: Barbadian Migrants to Britain, 9. Puerto Rican Women: Migration and Changes in Gender Roles, 10. Identity and Gender in the Mexican-American Testimonio: The Life and Narrative of Frances Esquivel Tywoniak, 11. Central American Refugee Testimonies and Performed Life Histories in the Sanctuary Movement, 12. Between Identities

    Biography

    Andor Skotnes