Nomadic citizenship: reflections on exile and the revolution

Abstract

The Arab Spring prompted members of the Egyptian diaspora around the globe to re-think their relationship to homeland and the potential role played by individuals and solidarity groups in the unfolding revolution. Within the large and diverse Arab diasporic communities, a plethora of bi-national and trans-national intellectuals, writers and artists were – physically or virtually – involved in the fight for freedom in their homeland, helping to create awareness and to mobilize diasporic communities. This article acknowledges this geopolitical and cultural sense of belonging, and the variety of actions taken by the diasporic intellectuals through territorial and cyber activism and the arts, as a transformative moment in the history of Egyptian and Arab diasporic communities. A new understanding of citizenship is unfolding right before our eyes: it is nomadic, ethical, and responsible. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s conceptualization of “nomadology” as a war machine, on Edward Said’s reflections on the exilic condition of the intellectual, and on Rosi Braidotti’s exploration of the politics of ethical sustainability, this article is a testimony on nomadism as an expression of cultural transformation and resistance. The focus on Egypt (with actions spreading from Canada to Western Europe and Australia) is meant to highlight the ongoing efforts deployed by nomadic citizens to act upon and transform the conventional understanding of belonging in both revolutionary and global contexts.