Bridging identities through activism: Palestinians in Sweden navigating the transnational divide

Abstract

This article deals with the ways in which diaspora communities use activism, transnational political engagements and mobilisation in order to create and sustain identities and navigate in the transnational space of being neither 'here' nor 'there'. Through an exploration of how Palestinians in Sweden use activism as a way to navigate their situation in between Palestine and Sweden, it is shown that transnational activism and social mobilisation are means of managing, meaning-making, mediating and negotiation vulnerable and complicated position between places and identities. Using narrative material collected through interviews with Palestinians in Sweden, this article unveils the relationship between conflict, activism and identity formation and how tensions, struggles and contestations inform that interlinkage. The article explores those relationships through investigating the case of the Palestinian community in Sweden and its narrated experiences of conflict and activism through the lens of the former homeland as well as the new or current country of residence. The study aims to deepen our understandings of the profound meaning of solidarity with a homeland lost as well as to a deeper understanding of the Palestinian diaspora in the Global North.

Digital Diaspora Activism at the Margins: Unfolding Rohingya Diaspora Interactions on Facebook (2017–2022)

“…In this changing milieu of digital engagement and transformation over the years, the Rohingya diaspora appears to be caught “between fatigue and responsibility” (Lindholm, 2021). While the descending trends of their collective action on Facebook constitute fatigue and hopelessness, their persistent prioritization of identity building and political positioning through the human rights framework reaffirm their unwavering resilience.…”

“…First, Arakan (Rakhine state) remains the place of reference and the center of gravity in the Rohingya diaspora’s multi-layered identity formation and political activism. Arakan is what “connects generations in dispersal and a way to remember a common past” (Lindholm, 2021, p. 302). Arakan is their non-negotiable homeland and a resolute marker for positioning their social, cultural, and political journey.…”

“…With the advent of information and communication technology, “conflict-generated” diasporas mobilized primarily through constructing grievance narratives, influencing secessionist attempts, and pursuing the right to self-determination (Graziano, 2012; Kumar, 2018; Lindholm, 2021). Elias and Lemish’s (2009) study of teenage immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel showed how virtual connectivity shaped their evolving identity and helped them navigate the difficulties stemming from their resettlement.…”

“…Oiarzabal (2012) investigated how Facebook influenced the Basque diaspora to reaffirm and maintain their cultural identity and transmit their political struggle for self-determination in Spain to the new generation of Basques. Exploring the in-betweenness of the Palestinian youth in Sweden, Lindholm (2021) discussed how transnational activism and social mobilization on Facebook were means of managing, meaning-making, and mediating a complicated positioning between places and identities.…”

Diaspora formation and mobilisation: The emerging Hong Kong diaspora in the anti‐extradition bill movement

“…Sökefeld's social movement studies approach is a theoretical breakthrough in the study of diaspora identities. In particular, his three-component conceptual framework has been echoed by many diaspora studies scholars and was subsequently applied to a different extent to the analysis of the mobilisation of different stateless diasporas, including Kashmiri (Sökefeld, 2016), Tamils (Orjuela, 2018), Kosovars and Palestinians (Koinova, 2017a;Lindholm, 2021).…”