Migration, Intercultural Identities and Border Regions (19th and 20th Centuries) / Migration, Identites Interculturelles Et Espaces Frontaliers (Xixe Et Xxe Siecles)

In a globalized world, discussions about migration and (inter)cultural identity call for a thorough analysis of the way in which people shape their cultural self-understanding. A comprehensive insight into these themes requires a study of the long-term development of migrants and the multi-faceted historical perspective of the context of migration. The book brings together a unique combination of academic reflections and research findings on migration in the fields of cultural history, history of education and comparative literature, focusing especially on the dimensions of intercultural identity and border regions. It broaches a largely unexplored, yet promising, academic area of ‘hybrid’ investigation that does justice to the richness of the migration process. The diverse historico-cultural studies of migration in this volume contribute to a more in-depth understanding of issues that are at the centre of contemporary debates on culture and identity.
Dans un monde globalisé, les débats autour de la migration et de l’identité (inter)culturelle nécessitent une prise en compte des enjeux soulevés par l’auto-compréhension culturelle. Dans ce contexte, une étude des évolutions à long terme des dynamiques identitaires, ainsi que des mises en perspective à la fois historiques et interdisciplinaires, s’impose. L’ouvrage réunit bilans et réflexions savantes sur la migration envisagée au croisement de l’histoire culturelle, de l’histoire de l’éducation et de la littérature comparée, se concentrant particulièrement sur les identités interculturelles en relation avec des régions frontalières : ces espaces jusqu’à présent peu explorés sont profondément investis par des processus d’hybridation caractéristiques de toute forme de migration. Un large faisceau d’études historico-culturelles s’interroge sur les aspects interculturels de la migration, s’installant au cœur des discussions contemporaines sur les rapports entre la culture et l’identité.

Elien Declercq, PhD in Literature, is a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven. Her research interests include literary discourse analysis, migration literature and intercultural transfer in border regions.
Walter Kusters, PhD in Educational Sciences, is affiliated to KU Leuven. His chief research interest is the historiography of education, citizenship and acculturation, especially in relation to identificational interculturality and collective self-understanding.
Saartje Vanden Borre holds a PhD in History from KU Leuven. Her current research focuses on the memory of the First World War in Belgian education throughout the interwar period. She previously published on migration and intergroup relations.