A Fresh Perspective on Migration and Identity
A powerful new book titled Crossings: Migrant Knowledges Migrant Forms was launched at the prestigious University of Cambridge yesterday. Co-edited by Kenyan academic Dr Natalya Din Kariuki, Professor Shubha Mukherji of Cambridge University, and Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, this book offers a fresh perspective on migration, identity, and creative expression.
Bringing together voices from diverse regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the Americas, Crossings explores how individuals carry knowledge, memory, and form with them as they move. It delves into more than just borders and displacement, but also examines the impact of food, music, language, stories, and ways of being. In a world still grappling with discussions around migration, this collection provides a deeply reflective and timely insight.
The book launch took place at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and saw the gathering of writers, artists, academics, and cultural practitioners from around the globe. Unlike typical academic events, this was a full day of engaging conversations, active listening, and knowledge exchange rooted in real experiences and profound introspection.
Dr Natalya Din Kariuki, a lecturer at the University of Warwick, shared insights on how migration influences not just physical movement but also shapes the way individuals tell stories, express their identities, and derive meaning from their memories. Drawing from her personal journey and the rich histories that inform it, she spoke with authority and clarity.
Professor Mukherji and Rowan Williams reflected on the process of creating the book, emphasizing that it goes beyond reacting to current headlines. Instead, Crossings offers a space for contemplation on the creative aspects of migration, highlighting what it generates rather than what it takes away.
For South Africa, a country where movement and belonging are intrinsic realities, this book holds particular significance. From experiences of exile and return to artistic exchanges and everyday interactions involving language and place, migration plays a vital role in shaping how the nation thinks, creates, and remembers.
Crossings: Migrant Knowledges Migrant Forms is set to be published by punctum books later this year, making it accessible globally in both print and open access formats.
