Key figure of mobility: the exile

Abstract

Exile is an ancient concept of political displacement expressing the enduring consequences for those affected by it. At least since antiquity exile has been a particular existence but also a form of figuration for those writing about it. This slippage contributed to a widening gap between experiences of exile as a condition of displacement and the qualities the figure symbolises, thus complicating the question of who may be considered exiled under what circumstances. Using this slippage between condition and figure productively, this article first traces the figure through Edward Said and outlines the exile's relation to other key figures of mobility and diaspora. A second analytical move compares this figure to anthropological research and to the particular case of Palestinians living in exile 'at home'. Once reinstated as a condition of displacement for the anthropology of mobility, exile illuminates the subjective and temporal dimensions of political displacement and its enduring aftermath. It helps us to grasp the myriad processes by which people are excluded, allowed and forced to move, while also illustrating the forced movement of boundaries and political projects across and around people.

Anthropology of exile: Mapping territories of experience

“…In current critical thinking, the term 'diaspora' substitutes for the term 'exile' (Dufoix 2005), thereby removing the concept from contemporary discussions about mobility and transnationalism (Hackl 2017) that normalize movement and flows as crucial processes in the structuring of post-modern identities (Hall 1990). Why distance the situation of exile from these presumptions?…”

Arquivar o exílio, contrariar o silêncio: memórias, objetos e narrativas de tempos incertos

“…Uma definição de exílio tem de ser contextual e historicamente situada. Se de forma abrangente podemos definir o exílio no âmbito de um tipo específico de mobilidade, a migração forçada, embora esta alocação não seja unânime (Hackl 2017), o termo possui uma definição múltipla e híbrida que pode ir da configuração institucional ou legal à identitária.…”

Chilean women in exile in Grenoble, France: interrogating understandings of exile and nostalgia

“…La noción de exilio, ampliamente utilizada para dar cuenta de las migraciones forzadas de carácter político en el marco de las dictaduras del Cono Sur 1 , tiene la potencialidad de referir tanto a una experiencia de movilidad e inmovilidad, como a las consecuencias de ésta para sus protagonistas (Hackl, 2017). Como todo proceso migratorio, el exilio convoca a una discusión sobre espacialidades, temporalidades y subjetividades, sin embargo -tanto en el horizonte de las migraciones como en el horizonte de aquellas de tipo forzado-el exilio reclama una especificidad.…”