Identity Formation in Transnational Perspective

Abstract

This panel discusses identity issues in transnational, transcultural, and translocal perspective. Presenters will discuss research on how descendants of migrants define and experience identity in rural settings, the role of religious and ethnic identities in the lives of diaspora communities, and the notions of exclusion and inclusion in mass-mediated culture. In particular, the complexities of identities under globalization are illustrated by the case of the second-generation youth in South Tyrol in rural settings, often portrayed as homogenous and immobile places, and their complex negotiations to find their place as a minority within a minority in rural Europe. Moreover, the panel argues that identities are central to global cultural politics and media depictions, as they all are intrinsically linked to the concepts of ‘us’ versus ‘others.’ In this view, identities are contingent and contextual. Contrary to what the rhetoric on globalization might often suggest, the world is not ‘one’ yet, and with the great variety of identities and divergent interests, conflict is possible. However, so are cooperation or mutual ‘borrowing’ and exchange. A further paper in the panel investigates the role of religious and ethnic identities in the lives of diaspora communities and among Eritrean refugees. Eritrea is one of the most diasporic nations with more than half of the population living abroad. While many refugees have fled their home in the past, they still are under surveillance of the transnational Eritrean institutions that strive to indoctrinate them with long-distance nationalism to control them politically and to exploit them financially.

Title	Details
Apart from or a Part Of? Second Generation Youth and Translocal Belonging in South Tyrol	View Paper Details
The Political Pentagram: Music, Regional Identities and Resistance to Cultural Globalisation	View Paper Details
Identity Formation Among Eritrean Communities in the Transnational Space: Caught Between State Imposed Nationalism and Sub-National Fragmentation	View Paper Details