Fluid Identities, Diaspora Youth Activists and the (Post-)Arab Spring: How Narratives of Belonging Can Change Over Time

This paper explores the nexus between political remittances, political activism and narratives of belonging. Drawing on semi-directive interviews with activists of three Egyptian youth groups in Vienna and a discourse analysis of their Facebook activism between 2012 and 2017, it shows that major political events in the place of origin can play a key—albeit ephemeral—role in mobilising descendants of Egyptian migrants abroad. Political discussions and practices in Egypt were reproduced abroad, though on a much smaller level. However, personal experiences in Vienna also heavily impregnated ideas about events in Egypt. Interviewees emphasised that the revolution in 2011 led to a renegotiation of their relationship to Egypt and for many, their activism was a way to claim their right to multiple identity constructions. Perceiving Egypt as an integral part of their dual identity, they sought to engage in political debates on integration issues in Austria parallel to raising awareness about political events in Egypt. However, as the government grew more authoritarian after summer 2013, identity constructions and political activities started to focus more on the Viennese context again, underlining how closely political activities and narratives of belonging are intertwined. The article draws on data from a research project on diaspora politics conducted between 2011 and 2017 in Cairo, Vienna and Paris, in which I studied how the revolution in 2011 and its aftermath influenced Egyptian migrants’ and their descendants’ political perceptions and actions regarding their homeland, focusing on mobilisations in two European cities—Vienna and Paris. My methodology combined a policy analysis of emigration and immigration policies including a series of expert interviews with people in ministries and political parties in Cairo; 55 qualitative interviews with transnational activists in Paris, Vienna and Cairo; and a discourse analysis of discussions taking place in their Facebook groups and pages.