The waxing and waning of the political field in Burundi and its diaspora.New article explores the relationship between conflict and diaspora politics in Burundi.A special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies (Volume 31, No. 4 May 2008) focuses on political transnationalism. Simon Turner’s article in the issue argues that there is a mutual relationship between diaspora politics and the political field inside Burundi, effectively constituting a transnational political field. He explores how this field expands and shrinks over time, depending on the type of regime in place. The article shows that the recent ending of the conflict in Burundi has meant that the point of gravity of the political field has shifted back into the territory of the nation-state, forcing the diaspora to re-invent itself in new ways. Being constituted around loss, exodus and exclusion, diaspora is closely linked to longing for home. But it also produces political subjectivities that revolve around exclusion from the polis at home and hence are about claiming rights to political inclusion and hence political citizenship. By exploring the shifting political field in Burundi and how this affects the diaspora, the article sheds light on the relationship between political citizenship (as rights and as belonging) and the creation of diasporic identities. |
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