Homeland Politics across Borders – How Borders Shape Political Activism Among the Libyan Diaspora

The events of 2011 have marked a turning point for the political activism among the Libyan diaspora. During the ruthless reign of Muammar al-Qadhafi, former Libyan leader by means of a successful military coup d’état in 1969, political dissent was efficiently suppressed by his consolidated security service – and often across international borders. While the Libyan diaspora is built on a long history of political emigration, going back to the Italian invasion and colonisation in the early 20^th century, and continuing during Libya’s short-lived independent monarchy, it has reached its peak during the era of al-Qadhafi. All along, borders have had a significant impact on political activism within the diaspora just as they both enable and limit activism in the diaspora’s state of origin. For instance, living in exile did little to prevent Libyans from being subjected to al-Qadhafi’s Revolutionary Committees that spied on Libyans across international borders and had them abducted or assassinated, often without repercussions. Constant mistrust towards fellow Libyans thus heavily constrained the diaspora’s sense of unity and political activism. In the wake of the 2011 uprisings, however, the Libyan diaspora mobilized against the regime and became an important pillar of the revolution. More than a decade later, political activists still work with and through borders in order to navigate the fragmented political landscape in Libya. Border Studies offer approaches to research borders from different angles which enrich our understanding of the multiple functions a border combines. Therefore, this paper intends to examine how borders shape possibilities for political activism among the Libyan diaspora. Bringing together the entanglements of literature discussions that have often been considered separately until now, the goal is to outline the complex set-up in which Libyan diaspora political activism is embedded.