A transdisciplinary research approach to diaspora studies
The project COHAB (Diasporic constructions of home and belonging) facilitated knowledge sharing to strengthen and establish diaspora studies as a transdisciplinary research area in its own right. This was achieved through training and enabling scholars and leading diaspora experts to collaborate on a shared platform. COHAB employed 12 early-stage (including doctoral) and 3 experienced (including postdoctoral) researchers who collaborated on diaspora projects. The overarching goal was to work towards a holistic approach integrating humanities, social sciences, anthropology, sociology, literary and cultural studies, and social geography. Project activities included outreach and joint network events that focused on the two concepts of home and belonging, and lectures on contemporary issues in diaspora studies. COHAB organised training events for researchers at their home institutions and three summer schools. The international conference ‘Diasporic Constructions of Home and Belonging’, the project’s milestone event, attracted world-renowned diaspora experts and over 100 proposals from more than 30 countries. ITN members have produced three major, network-wide publications – proceedings of the ‘Diasporic Constructions of Home and Belonging’ conference and a joint publication presenting articles on the topic of symbols in diaspora studies as a special edition of the journal Symbolism: An International Annual of Critical Aesthetics. ‘The Routledge Diaspora Studies Reader’ serves as a text book for teaching students and training researchers of diaspora in various disciplines. The project website has helped raise the international visibility of the ITN and its researchers. It features a publicly accessible work-in-progress ‘diaspora wiki’, a primary goal of which is to develop a shared, transdisciplinary terminology. The website also offers information regarding the ITN’s areas of research and relevant events. COHAB’s network-of-networks approach to diaspora studies is a practical response to contemporary issues and challenges such as conflicts, wars and labour mobility. The initiative and its outcomes also offer European decision-makers new insights and a fresh approach to related social, cultural and political issues.
Keywords
Transdisciplinary research, diaspora studies, home and belonging, COHAB
