Experiencing Exile, Memorising Migration: A Narrative Autoethnography

When writing the exposé for the call for papers centered on exile, I struggled to see myself as an exile. Exile seemed sad, bitter, and paralyzing, often associated with famous figures such as Arendt, Brecht, and Benjamin. Others, fleeing wars and tyrannical states, were nameless refugees. Judith Shklar (2019) says that exiles occur when a government betrays its citizens, leading to various forms of exile, including inner exile without physical displacement. My inner exile began long before leaving my country, prompted by witnessing horrors and atrocities. A spring wind of protest against the tyrannical state doctrine brought me out of my inner exile. Returning to Europe, I now grapple with shaping “my exile,” reflecting on my recurring migrations and personal biography.