Political Exile in the Digital Age: Nicaraguan Transnational Activism and the Limits of Solidarity

Join CLAS for a cosponsored talk with the Department of Anthropology by Dr. Samira Marty on “Political Exile in the Digital Age: Nicaraguan Transnational Activism and the Limits of Solidarity.”

 

As the seventh anniversary of the Nicaraguan uprising (April, 2018) approaches, the plight of those who fled persecution and now identify as "political exiles" has become increasingly urgent. Latin America has a long history of exile, ranging from individuals banished by imperial Spain to political and intellectual dissidents who sought refuge from the military dictatorships of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile in the 1970s and 1980s. While scholarship on political exile has traditionally focused on exiles’ adaptation to new environments and their efforts to rebuild the social and political fabric of their home countries, contemporary exile presents new challenges and opportunities. 

 

This talk critically examines the evolving nature of political exile in the twenty-first century, focusing on the thousands of Nicaraguans who have sought political asylum in Western Europe since 2018. Using an ethnographic approach, it explores how these exiles seek to influence political change from abroad while navigating the constraints imposed by their host societies. Nicaraguan exiles have drawn on Latin America's historical legacy of political exile by participating in transnational solidarity movements, organizing protests, and using poetry to document their experiences. However, despite these continuities, contemporary conditions of exile differ significantly. The rise of ethno-nationalism and deepening socio-economic inequalities in Europe have rendered exiles particularly vulnerable. At the same time, while digital technologies have facilitated connectivity with their homeland, they have also fostered a sense of presentism, narrowing the possibilities for long-term political transformation. This talk situates Nicaraguan exile within broader global patterns of displacement and explores its implications for transnational activism and political engagement in the digital age.

Samira Marty is a political anthropologist and currently a Charles E. Scheidt postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Mass Atrocity and Genocide Prevention at Binghamton University. Her work examines memory politics, exile, and transnational solidarity between Central America and Western Europe. More about her research can be found at samiramarty.com.