From 23 until 25 March, thirty prominent researchers from all over the world met at the IISH to discuss the theme Exile Studies in Global Labour History and Global Migration History. Both Global Labour and Global Migration History are spearheads in IISH’s research program. Subjects for debate were: What can research in the field of Exile learn from these concepts and How can research on Exile, with its focus on transcultural questions and problems, contribute to Global Labour / Migration History?
Specific and general effects of Exile on the economic, political and cultural landscape of the country of birth of the exiled were discussed from a comparative and interdisciplinary viewpoint.
The conference was subdivided in six sections:
- Persecution, Expulsion, Exodus: results of wars and political upheavals
- Concepts of Exile in Literature and Literary Theory
- Archives, Memory, Research
- Family, Friendship, Politics
- Transfer of Arts and Sciences
- Political, social and cultural satus of "Migrants"
The Conference aimed at reflecting the state of research on Emigration and Exile and the perspectives in view of the challenge of globalization. Given the history, the collections, the mission, and the research, the IISH was the most suitable partner to focus on parallels or even overlappings, on similarity or differences between Exile studies and “Global Labour / Migration History” by presenting and comparing in six thematic sections, introduced by a keynote-session, a variety of subject and geographic matters, temporality, methods etc.
The documentation of the contributions to this pilot project – exposés as well as (revised or enlarged) articles – are published in the original languages German and English on the website of the Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e.V. Go to Archiv - Jahrestagungen - Jahrestagung 2012 - Online Publications (in German)
For more information please contact Dr. Ursula Langkau-Alex, ula@iisg.nl.