The project for a joint teaching module on “Exile and Migration in World Literature” aims to contribute to the goals of EUPeace in the Humanities. Literature as one of the essential parts of our culture is a potential source for historical and cultural knowledge, and also reflects different traditions and world views. The 20th and 21st centuries have been characterized by an international literature which is a consequence of both international and civil wars, and their subsequent exiles and migrations. In the European context, exile and migration affect all our societies, and present social, political and cultural challenges and opportunities at many levels. The proposed course on “Exile and Migration in World Literature” aims to generate among students a heightened awareness of and sensitivity to the impact that exile and migration have upon literature, how exiles and migrants contribute through their literature to a better understanding of their experiences and their integration, and how they become to belong to the literary panorama of their adoptive societies.
This project is made possible through seed funding from the EUPeace Fund, an initial incentive launched to cultivate and develop interest across EUPeace communities in our network; by providing a first format for collaboration, the Fund equips participating researchers, educators, students and administrators with a practical tool for experimentation and active participation, employing a bottom-up approach that generates concrete information on the interests and needs of our communities and informs future collaborative initiatives.
