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    *Interrogating Diaspora: Workshop at the EASA-Conference, Bristol,
Sept. 18-21, 2006*
*ocation:* United Kingdom
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*Call for Papers Date:* 2006-04-01 (in 29 days)
*Date Submitted:* 2006-03-01
*Announcement ID:* 150015

Convenors: Martin Sökefeld (Univ. of Bern), Erik Olsson (Univ. of
Linköping)

In the fields of ethnicity, migration and postcolonial studies,
“diaspora” has been acclaimed as a concept that facilitates the
accommodation of hybridity, movement, permeability of borders and the
fluidity of identification. The initial euphoria of “diaspora” seems to
have given way to certain reservations, however. It has been argued
that, contrary to theoretical intentions, the concept has served to
essentialise communities by attaching them to particular places of
origin, and that the meaning of diaspora has been stretched to such an
extent that it has lost much of its analytical power by largely equating
diaspora with migrant communities.

Against the background of such recent criticism of the concept, the
workshop intends to interrogate the empirical and theoretical usefulness
of the diaspora concept and the specific empirical questions it raises.
Three main issues will be in focus. The first refers to the general
conceptual question of how to conceptualise diaspora in a way that shuns
essentialism and avoids equating it solely with migrant communities, but
at the same time secures its analytical and comparative value. The
second issue refers to questions that arise once we abstain from
essentialising diaspora. We need to ask why and how diaspora communities
are formed and how people are mobilized for diaspora. Why are people
attracted to ideas of diaspora? How are different diasporas maintained
and inter-generationally reproduced? How are diasporas transformed in
the process of reproduction? A third issue of interest refers to the
transnationality that is claimed to be a central feature in diasporic
contexts. What does such transnationality signify, and how does it
manifest itself in diasporic practices?

We cordially invite the submission of 1-page abstracts for theoretically
focused and empirically well-grounded presentations (20 minutes + 10
minutes discussion) that address these particular questions. Please send
your abstract by of *April, 2006*, to:

[log in to unmask]
and
[log in to unmask]
For more information on the conference see:
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/easa/easa06/

Martin Sökefeld
Institute of Social Anthropology
University of Bern
Länggasstrasse 49a
CH-3009 Bern
Email: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

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