Remembering and Dealing with Violent Pasts

In an era defined by armed conflicts and mass displacement, this book offers a powerful journey into the lives of diasporic communities as they grapple with memories of war, genocide and persecution. Drawing on eight case studies - from Rwandan, Bosnian and Kurdish diasporas to Ukrainian, Chechen and Lebanese diasporic communities across Europe and North America - this volume intricately explores the ways in which memories of violence are transmitted, transformed, and sometimes deliberately silenced in new homelands.

Through biographical narratives, ethnographic observation, social-media analysis and studies of transnational art projects, contributors explore how memories of violence are both transmitted and silenced, as subsequent generations strive to piece together and reinterpret fragmented histories of trauma, loss, home and belonging. Readers will discover how both collective and individual memories of violence are reshaped by political discourses and policies of the country of settlement, by colonial legacies and emerging forms of generational activism – sparking new modes of commemoration and political engagement among subsequent generations.

Accessible yet deeply insightful, this collection speaks to all those interested in diaspora, forced migration, repercussions of violence and conflict, generations and memory. It invites readers to trace the journeys of those marked by violent pasts as they rebuild their lives within shifting political landscapes and changing cultures of remembrance.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in Ethnic and Racial Studies.