ABSTRACT
Hannah Arendt’s poignant statement, originally published in 1943, has strong resonance today when “we all are implicated in a world which continuously replicates forced migration” (Boyden, 2009, p. 274). This chapter will discuss defi nitions of diaspora and the concept of the asylum-migration nexus (Castles, 2003) in order to develop more contextualized understandings of displacement. The relationship between memory and diaspora will be analyzed, focusing on some of the ways in which collective memory affects diasporic communities in contexts of reception. If the writing of history by dominant groups renders invisible the structural violence causing displacement, then exclusionary policies and practices are justifi ed on tenuous grounds. Next, the interplay between writing and politics will be explored in order to understand how creative practices can provide “a countermemory to offi cial hegemonic history” (Hirsch & Smith, 2002, p. 7). Children’s stories of injustice and survival, as well as stories expressing joy, have often helped to restore confi dence in adults who have endured many losses. Dialogue between different generations contributes to building more equitable institutions and practices. I will conclude by considering the role of children as writers and how critical analysis and practice through creative writing, and other forms of education through the arts, can facilitate in disrupting exclusionary policies impacting diasporic populations.
