Politics of belonging and the Eritrean diaspora youth: Generational transmission of the decisive past

Abstract

This article addresses the generational transmission of the decisive Eritrean past and illustrates its influence on the reinforcement and maintenance of Eritrean identity and sense of belonging to Eritrea on young Eritreans grown up in the diaspora. It argues that the transmission and preservation of narratives and knowledge about the decisive Eritrean past makes the Eritrean history a "chosen trauma", which constitutes an important aspect of the formation of a collective identity. Thereby, the article focuses on two particular modes of transmissions: first, within families from parents to children and second, by the international conferences of the YPFDJ, the exile youth branch of the country's ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice PFDJ. The generational transmission of a decisive past helps to understand the formation of identity and belonging of second-generation Eritreans and further contributes to the broader debate on post-migrant generations constituting belonging in a transnational field.

Eritrea’s Chosen Trauma and the Legacy of the Martyrs: The Impact of Postmemory on Political Identity Formation of Second-Generation Diaspora Eritreans

“…The children of this refugee generation grew up in an atmosphere where the Eritrean struggle was omnipresent. Samuel Graf (2018: 121) quotes a second-generation diaspora Eritrean in Switzerland:…”

“…A sober and precise analysis of the role of postmemory in second-generation diaspora youth’s identity formation comes from Selam, living in Switzerland and interviewed by Samuel Graf (2018: 120):…”

“…I use two theoretical notions, “postmemory” (Hirsch, 2008) and “chosen trauma” (Volkan, 2001) to explain why and how the ruling elite strives to control the narrative of Eritrean history, grounded in a national culture of sacrifice and in the responsibility to preserve the legacy of the martyrs of the struggle. I revisit literature exploring processes of identity formation among Eritreans abroad (Afeworki, 2018; Bernal, 2013; Conrad, 2010; Graf, 2018; Redeker Hepner, 2008 and 2015; Von Nolting, 2002) and demonstrate how the experiences of the war refugees of the 1980s have shaped their children’s image of Eritrea, which often diverges significantly from the reality on the ground. This literature shows how identity formation among the second generation is influenced by the first generation’s feelings of guilt of having fled Ethiopian war atrocities instead of fighting in the liberation movement, and by the EPLF’s distorted narrative of Eritrean history, which has shaped the second generation’s imagination.…”

Qualitative methods III: On different ways of describing our work

“…In these last two instances, however, the willingness to discuss results in this way was partly based on the researchers’ intention to do this work themselves since both papers were reporting on initial project findings. Graf (2018), Schurr and Militz (2018) and Ruwanpura (2018) also point to other groups whose potentially different perspectives would provide a more rounded appreciation of what they found in their own projects (different generations of ethnic diaspora; others facing the challenge of combining artistic and academic work; those who occupy another set of positions in the garment factory workforce). Similarly, Faulconbridge and Muzio (2015) tell us that we should examine other cases in order to know whether the results of their study hold true elsewhere.…”

Qualitative methods II: On the presentation of ‘geographical ethnography’

“…Other authors, however, say less about how the two were combined. Graf (2018) tells us only that accompanied trips ‘provided further insights’ into the views of the Eritrean diaspora. In an otherwise full account of methods, Motzer (2018) simply states that participant observation ‘improved’ data collection in her study of US regional food hubs.…”