The emergence of diasporic sensibilities among Iraqis in London

Document Type

Book

Role

Contributor

Publication

Routledge Handbook on Middle Eastern Diasporas

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Availability

Check Tripod

Standard Number

9781138631137

First Page

316

Last Page

327

Publication Date

8-7-2022

Abstract

The Iraqi communities in London that were consolidated after Saddam Hussein’ rise to power in 1979 have been transformed from exilic and transnational communities in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively, into diasporic communities after 2003. The fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime and different generational experiences indicated a shift from the notions of exile and transnationalism to the concept of diaspora. Before 2003, Iraqis in London experienced exile as a condition of enforced absence but hoped that return would be possible once the conditions of expulsion were changed. While regime change in Iraq in 2003 opened the national space for Iraqis abroad for visits and cultural exchange, it also foreclosed the possibility of permanent return due to escalating violence and instability. This status quo engendered diasporic sensibilities among young Iraqis who cultivated attachments to multiple places, pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be British and Iraqi, and formed new notions of subjectivity and homes, informed by hybridity and linkages.

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