Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MEMODIAS (Memory Practices of the Afghan and Somali Diasporas in the USA and Italy.)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-11-01 al 2024-10-31
MEMODIAS project investigates how memory helps people in exile adapt to new environments and maintain connections with their homeland, focusing on the Afghan and Somali diasporas in Italy and the USA. It explores how globalization affects their memories and identities, highlighting the role of diasporas in sharing and shaping transnational cultural memories.
Recent memory studies emphasize that globalization allows memories to travel and mix, creating a blend of local and global memories. However, most research has focused on individual diasporas or general global memory trends, rather than interactions between different diasporas. MEMODIAS addresses this gap by studying the Somali and Afghan diasporas, which have experienced significant migration due to political violence and state collapse.
The project examines how these diasporas respond to changes in their home countries and how these changes affect their memories of conflict, exile, settlement, and return. It uses tools from various fields, including Memory and Migration/Diaspora studies, Media, Art and Performance studies, Gender studies, Cultural studies, and Critical Global studies.
By focusing on the memory practices of Afghan and Somali diasporas, MEMODIAS seeks to understand how these communities navigate their identities and connections in a globalized world. The project uses ethnographic fieldwork, biographical interviews, and creative workshops to gather data and encourage active participation from diaspora members. This approach will help disseminate the project's findings to a broader public and enhance its impact on both academic and non-academic audiences.
MEMODIAS aims to create a collaborative research environment where diaspora members act as co-researchers, ensuring the research values their contributions. The project produces various outputs, including academic publications, seminars, social media content, and educational toolkits for a wide audience, such as policymakers, journalists, and educators. This approach aims to influence policy and contribute to reducing inequalities, promoting sustainable communities, and ensuring peace and justice.
The project emphasizes combining rigorous research with attention to the needs and expectations of participant populations. It seeks to avoid exploitative research practices and foster a reflective space for participants to explore their cultural and social resources.
Recent memory studies emphasize that globalization allows memories to travel and mix, creating a blend of local and global memories. However, most research has focused on individual diasporas or general global memory trends, rather than interactions between different diasporas. MEMODIAS addresses this gap by studying the Somali and Afghan diasporas, which have experienced significant migration due to political violence and state collapse.
The project examines how these diasporas respond to changes in their home countries and how these changes affect their memories of conflict, exile, settlement, and return. It uses tools from various fields, including Memory and Migration/Diaspora studies, Media, Art and Performance studies, Gender studies, Cultural studies, and Critical Global studies.
By focusing on the memory practices of Afghan and Somali diasporas, MEMODIAS seeks to understand how these communities navigate their identities and connections in a globalized world. The project uses ethnographic fieldwork, biographical interviews, and creative workshops to gather data and encourage active participation from diaspora members. This approach will help disseminate the project's findings to a broader public and enhance its impact on both academic and non-academic audiences.
MEMODIAS aims to create a collaborative research environment where diaspora members act as co-researchers, ensuring the research values their contributions. The project produces various outputs, including academic publications, seminars, social media content, and educational toolkits for a wide audience, such as policymakers, journalists, and educators. This approach aims to influence policy and contribute to reducing inequalities, promoting sustainable communities, and ensuring peace and justice.
The project emphasizes combining rigorous research with attention to the needs and expectations of participant populations. It seeks to avoid exploitative research practices and foster a reflective space for participants to explore their cultural and social resources.
Several key activities have been performed so far, to explore the memory practices of Afghan and Somali diasporas in Italy and the USA, organized in 5 work packages:
WP1 Career and project management
Regular reports to supervisors and the beneficiary administration have been produced to monitor the project's advancements, including administrative, financial, scientific, and training aspects. A Data Management Plan, a Career Development Plan, and an Ethical Assessment have been completed. Additionally, the University of Milan explored establishing connections with The New School through an international mobility agreement with the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, and a collaboration with the New University in Exile Consortium to support persecuted and endangered scholars worldwide.
WP2 Literature review, theoretical and methodological tools
An extensive review has been conducted, focused on diaspora and memory studies, and the social and historical dynamics of the Afghan and Somali diasporas. This included theoretical, empirical, and methodological aspects. The main research questions were identified and operationalized through ad hoc interview tracks.
WP3 Data collection and analysis
Fieldwork has been conducted in New York, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis, activities included:
- Participant observation at cultural institutions and public events.
- Meetings and discussions with about 60 interlocutors, experts, and observers from both communities.
- 21 in-depth biographical interviews with participants (6 women and 15 men).
- A creative focus group to explore non-verbal memory processing and expression.
Transcription, coding, and initial analysis of collected materials identified main thematic cores, to be refined in Italy in the third year of the project.
WP4 Training activities
The researcher attended 4 courses and 13 conferences and workshops in NYC to strengthen his methodological skills, incorporate the multifaceted aspects of the gender dimension into the project’s analytical toolkit, and explore innovative approaches in migration, mobility, and memory studies.
WP5 Communication and dissemination
A comprehensive Communication Plan has been drafted, centralizing the project's online presence on an Instagram account. For academic dissemination, 5 conferences have been attended, and 5 seminars have been organized. In terms of publications, 2 peer-reviewed articles have been drafted.
WP1 Career and project management
Regular reports to supervisors and the beneficiary administration have been produced to monitor the project's advancements, including administrative, financial, scientific, and training aspects. A Data Management Plan, a Career Development Plan, and an Ethical Assessment have been completed. Additionally, the University of Milan explored establishing connections with The New School through an international mobility agreement with the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, and a collaboration with the New University in Exile Consortium to support persecuted and endangered scholars worldwide.
WP2 Literature review, theoretical and methodological tools
An extensive review has been conducted, focused on diaspora and memory studies, and the social and historical dynamics of the Afghan and Somali diasporas. This included theoretical, empirical, and methodological aspects. The main research questions were identified and operationalized through ad hoc interview tracks.
WP3 Data collection and analysis
Fieldwork has been conducted in New York, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis, activities included:
- Participant observation at cultural institutions and public events.
- Meetings and discussions with about 60 interlocutors, experts, and observers from both communities.
- 21 in-depth biographical interviews with participants (6 women and 15 men).
- A creative focus group to explore non-verbal memory processing and expression.
Transcription, coding, and initial analysis of collected materials identified main thematic cores, to be refined in Italy in the third year of the project.
WP4 Training activities
The researcher attended 4 courses and 13 conferences and workshops in NYC to strengthen his methodological skills, incorporate the multifaceted aspects of the gender dimension into the project’s analytical toolkit, and explore innovative approaches in migration, mobility, and memory studies.
WP5 Communication and dissemination
A comprehensive Communication Plan has been drafted, centralizing the project's online presence on an Instagram account. For academic dissemination, 5 conferences have been attended, and 5 seminars have been organized. In terms of publications, 2 peer-reviewed articles have been drafted.
The MEMODIAS project has made significant contributions to migration and diaspora studies, as well as to the use of creative methodologies in social research. Key outcomes include:
- Comparative Memory Studies: For the first time, the Afghan and Somali diasporas have been compared through the lens of memory studies, providing new insights into their experiences and interactions.
- Interdiasporic Approach: A new "interdiasporic approach" has been developed and tested, examining the relationships between diasporas in two different contexts, refining concepts of mnemonic solidarity and diasporic memory.
- Innovative Dissemination: Dissemination activities have received positive feedback, highlighting the value of involving marginalized and hard-to-reach populations in public discussions.
- Creative Biographical Research: In collaboration with other EU and national projects, a methodological contribution called Creative Biographical Research has been developed. This approach has gained international recognition and has been featured in prominent conferences and publications.
- Fresh Insights: The research has shifted the focus from the internal practices of single diasporas to the interactions between different diasporas around common topics, providing new insights into how diaspora members remember and transmit their memories.
The impact of MEMODIAS is both scientific and societal. Researchers, diaspora members, professionals, and policymakers can benefit from the findings. Further research can draw upon the project’s results by adopting its methodological and theoretical framework and expanding its scope through different case studies.
- Comparative Memory Studies: For the first time, the Afghan and Somali diasporas have been compared through the lens of memory studies, providing new insights into their experiences and interactions.
- Interdiasporic Approach: A new "interdiasporic approach" has been developed and tested, examining the relationships between diasporas in two different contexts, refining concepts of mnemonic solidarity and diasporic memory.
- Innovative Dissemination: Dissemination activities have received positive feedback, highlighting the value of involving marginalized and hard-to-reach populations in public discussions.
- Creative Biographical Research: In collaboration with other EU and national projects, a methodological contribution called Creative Biographical Research has been developed. This approach has gained international recognition and has been featured in prominent conferences and publications.
- Fresh Insights: The research has shifted the focus from the internal practices of single diasporas to the interactions between different diasporas around common topics, providing new insights into how diaspora members remember and transmit their memories.
The impact of MEMODIAS is both scientific and societal. Researchers, diaspora members, professionals, and policymakers can benefit from the findings. Further research can draw upon the project’s results by adopting its methodological and theoretical framework and expanding its scope through different case studies.