Transnational Genealogies: The Politics of Space, Migration, and Identity in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts

Dear Colleagues,

The complex pattern of current global migration is composed of threads spun throughout the colonial era. Colonialism significantly altered the politics of geography, migration, and identity, creating transnational genealogies that continue to have a substantial influence in postcolonial contexts. Colonial powers compelled large-scale migrations, such as the transatlantic slave trade and the movement of indentured workers from Asia to Africa and the Caribbean. They did this not only to secure labour but also to control space and reshape demographics (Northrup, 1995). These forced movements resulted in enduring diasporas that dismantled communities and generated new, often contested identities in colonial territories that were rigidly separated to uphold racial and social inequalities (Mamdani, 1996).

Urban planning, seizing land, and creating borders that arbitrarily separated ethnic groups and altered notions of belonging all exemplify the colonial politics of space. Colonial migration was rarely voluntary; it was a tool for empires to operate their economies and generate profit. As a result, identities formed during colonial migration were always hybrid and transcultural, shaped by the trauma of displacement, resistance to imposed categories, and the necessity to move across different cultural spheres (Bhabha, 1994). The "politics of space" implied that the placement or permission to move within a space determined individuals' rights and social value.

These family trees remain in the postcolonial era. Former colonial powers and newly independent states continue to grapple with the effects of these planned migrations and spatial divisions. Economic disparities and conflicts initiated when colonial boundaries were established often influence modern migration patterns that follow the same routes as colonial ones. Postcolonial nations frequently adopt and modify laws and perspectives on space from their colonial past, especially concerning citizenship, border control, and managing differences (Mbembe, 2001). The identities of migrants and their children remain closely linked to colonial histories. This connection shapes how others perceive them (as former colonial subjects or members of diasporic groups) and how they find a sense of belonging both in their host countries and ancestral homelands. To understand contemporary migratory politics, spatial inequalities, and ongoing struggles for recognition and decolonisation of identity and territory, we need to explore these transnational genealogies. They demonstrate how colonial history continues to influence migration today.

1. Colonial Cartographies and the Forging of Modern Borders:

Examine how colonial powers established artificial boundaries that displaced populations and created migratory routes that endure. Look at how these imposed geographical divisions (such as the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Partition of India) continue to lead to forced migration, statelessness, and conflicts over identity in postcolonial countries and how they influence modern "securitisation" frameworks (Popescu, 2019; Mbembe, 2001).

2. Hybrid Identities and the Legacies of Coerced Mobility:

Explore the development of transnational identities among descendants of forced migrants during the colonial period, including enslaved people and indentured labourers, as well as contemporary refugees. Examine how trauma, cultural resilience, and resistance influence their membership in diasporas. This challenges nationalist narratives and highlights the colonial origins of modern labels for irregular migration (Bhabha, 1994; Mamdani, 1996).

3. Continuities of Control: From Colonial Administration to Postcolonial Migration Governance:

Critically examine how policies from the colonial past involving population control, surveillance, and racial categorisation influence current immigration laws, asylum procedures, and integration programmes in both former colonies and major cities. Analyse how exclusionary logics continue to appear in frameworks like the 1951 Convention (Anghie, 2005; based on Popescu et al., 2020 on securitisation).

4. (Re)Claiming Space: Diasporas, Memory, and Postcolonial Urban Landscapes:

Explore how communities displaced during and after colonial times grapple with feelings of belonging and asserting their rights to space in their new homes. Pay attention to how people establish homes in other countries, how they remember colonial brutality in cities, and how they resist spatial segregation and gentrification rooted in colonial design (Mbembe, 2001; Tolia-Kelly, 2004).

5. Decolonizing Migration: Reparative Justice, Knowledge Production, and Alternative Frameworks:

Assess movements for migrant justice, repatriation, and land restitution as means to decolonise. Critically examine how migration research and policy have become more receptive to decolonisation (for example, by centring migrant voices and challenging Eurocentric knowledge). Additionally, explore other approaches to managing migration that are informed by postcolonial critiques of the GCM/GCR (Tuck & Yang, 2012; Bhambra, 2014).

6. Related theme

Authors can go beyond the above-mentioned themes and come up with a related topic.

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Dr. Nomatter Sande
Guest Editor

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• colonial borders
• colonial migration
• decolonization
• diaspora
• forced displacement
• hybrid identity
• politics of space
• postcolonial identity
• spatial
• segregation
• transnational genealogies