The significant majority of migration movements around the globe are currently produced by violent conflicts, civil wars, state-led persecution, and discrimination against ethnic, religious, or political groups and movements. Although people flee various forms of violence, the mere fact of arriving at and settling into a new context does not mean that those experiences of violence and conflict are left behind. They continue to accompany, shape, and affect not only those who were forced to flee, but also their descendants (i.e. children and grandchildren) who were born or grew up in the new setting. Despite the high degree of relevance of such experiences, which can have long-term consequences for both individuals and whole diaspora communities, they have been the subject of surprisingly little scholarly discussion. At the center of this workshop thus stands the following question: How do experiences and legacies of violence in countries of origin, including their present-day continuations, affect the individual lives of migrants and their descendants, as well as the collective life of the diasporic community? The aim of this workshop is to advance theoretical conceptualization of these issues by means of an interdisciplinary scholarly discussion, based on the analysis of a number of empirical cases. By bringing together scholars working on a range of diaspora communities, our workshop will make possible cross-case comparisons, as well as the identification of both common patterns and points of difference between the cases. This workshop is organized as part of the SNSF Ambizione research project «Dealing with the violent past in the diaspora».

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