Synopsis

This call for chapters invites interested researchers to send their abstracts of suggested chapters on the archaeologies of displacement, migration and humanitarian crises, their impact on societies, cultural identity, and collective memory of displaced people around the world.


Book Topic

Displacement and forced migrations were a major feature of the 20th century in many regions of the world and are increasing rather than decreasing in the second decade of the 21st century. Civil wars, conflicts and political unrest have all created movements of refugees and internally displaced people. Other people have fled their homes due to famine, environmental disasters, nuclear or chemical disasters, or major development projects, such as dam building.

Currently, the seemingly endless cycle of violence and conflicts in several areas across the world, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Africa has served to create humanitarian catastrophes. In the context of the Middle East, more than 10 million people have left their homes and have been internally displaced or sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Others have made their way through the Mediterranean to reach Northern Europe, stirring up political tensions and debates about the rights of migrants and refugees. Similarly, in the past few months, images and videos highlighted a new wave of migration due to the warfare hostilities in Ukraine. Western media started immediately to report on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and how those refugees are "civilized", "educated", "know how to use Instagram", and "very different from the Middle Easterners or Africans" who sought refuge during the last decade. A growing number of activists on social media platforms ironically responded to the Western media double standards and narratives of refuge.

The concept of involuntary displacement offers a powerful tool with which to explore the identities of exiled groups. A close consideration of the mechanisms of forced migration allows us to understand how the decay and loss of material objects such as personal possessions and photographs, which are invested with individual memories, compromise the ability to recall or come to terms with a difficult past life. 

Many displaced refugees and migrants seek to safeguard their cultural identities by attempting to maintain contact with their homeland. This can lead to the creation of 're-invented ethnicities' where nostalgic memories of a homeland are added to and embellished in a place of sanctuary. In some cases, the assertion of alien identities can lead to ethnic tensions and hinder integration into new communities. It can also lead to distrust and the segregation or ghettoization of incoming migrants and refugees. 

This edited book aims to understand how and why the voices of displaced people are so often forgotten in the narratives of globalisation. We will focus on how the trauma of forced migration creates interconnections between material objects, memories, oral histories and people and explore the potential for creating sustainable archaeologies of displacement. Finally, we will examine how the authentic voices and testimonies of refugees can be used to revive the forgotten and unexplored narratives of global displacement. 

We welcome cross-disciplinary proposals from individuals at different stages in their careers, including early and mid-career researchers, academics and practitioners and from a range of methodological and conceptual perspectives.

 

Chapter proposal deadline:

Please send abstracts of 300-400 words to the below emails by 28 February 2023.

Deadline for abstracts (chapter proposals): 28 February 2023.

 

Editors ​Emails
Dr. Nour A. Munawar, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies & Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies – Qatarnour.munawar@dohainstitute.edu.qa
 
Prof. Dr. James Symonds, University of Amsterdam (UvA) – Netherlands
 
j.symonds2@uva.nl