Forms of Migration: Global Perspectives on Im/migrant Art and Literature

Workshop & Publication

The international workshop explored the literary and aesthetic forms of expression that are shaping our understanding and knowledge of the dynamics in and around transnational migration processes. How do aesthetic forms change when people move? What is the creative potential of intercultural encounter? What role do collective and individual identities play in these processes, and how are they reflected in, and created by, forms of expression?

Understanding migration through art

Addressing migration patterns around the globe, the interdisciplinary workshop Forms of Migration placed emphasis on form, as an essential constituent of art and literature. This focus was based on the presupposition that it is often the compositional structure and rhetoric of texts and images, the literary nature and formal qualities of certain images and stories that impact readers and beholders, thereby opening up new perspectives on reality. The workshop offered an alternative way to understand migration and its impact through innovative storytelling and artistic visual material. A different interpretation of complex migration processes was developed which challenge common perceptions of im/migrant experiences. The lectures, readings, panel discussions, and roundtables were accompanied by an art exhibition including video installations, photographs, drawings, sculptures and collages by Salma Ahmad Caller, Chaza Charafeddine, Reine Chahine, Sophie Ernst, and Ronaldo Lopes de Oliveira.

The workshop was organised by members of the Working Group Common Heritage and Common Challenges in collaboration with Jennifer A. Reimer, Oregon State University.

The publication will be released in January 2022.