Diaspora is not only a condition of movement; it is a site of economic production, aesthetic expression, survival strategy, and community building. Over the years, African people and diasporic communities have formed identities while facing issues bordering on exclusion, survival, cultural assimilation, building community, and belonging. Migration reshapes how immigrants understand and experience life, while they seek strategies to fit in their new society and create sources of income.
This panel invites papers that critically examine how diasporic identities are formed, sustained, challenged, and transformed with a focus on how migrant individuals and communities navigate socioeconomic, political, and cultural spaces. We are interested in interdisciplinary works that explore how diasporic subjects navigate homeland attachments, personhood, expectations of the host society, language, and economic survival.
Papers may address, but are not limited to these themes:
Migration and Informal economies,
Fashion, black hair and cultural formation,
Negotiating personhood, belonging, citizenship, and legal status
Associations, solidarity/support networks, survival and mutual aid
Submit abstract to Sarah Akomoh at sarahidowu.akomoh@siu.edu by March 9, 2026.
Diasporic Identity Formation and Survival
