Voluntary exile

Read Voluntary Exile in PDF

Exile and Idealism

Exile is a surge toward elsewhere, driven by an idealism that pushes one to transcend the confines of everyday life. It is this idealism that is found in all the participants: going beyond borders and one's limits to achieve greater freedom. It is the same thirst for freedom that drove the writers of the "Lost Generation" to leave for Europe.

This idealism is built on a certain disappointment, that of the country of origin which does not respond to the subjective search of the expatriate, hence the leap into the unknown which is sometimes a test. Because it is a leap into the unknown and a separation from the familiar or the known to exile. Exile and existence have the same root: "to be outside", to separate, a separation which sends each one back to his destiny or to the unknown of his origin. Indeed, is not the stranger at the heart of ourselves and through exile, is it not ourselves that we seek? There exists in this quest an absolutism which can lead to nihilism if the person is not structured. For can freedom be achieved and does not its search lead to isolation?

It seems that there is suffering or at least a malaise behind the decision to emigrate and this makes him face challenges such as language. This malaise is that of an individual but also of a civilization given the increasing number of retirees who leave their country of origin. It concerns both the emigrant subject and the one who receives the foreigner locally, asking him to position himself on the principle of otherness. Through linguistic differences, symbolic universes meet, made of myths and beliefs. Anthropological and ethnic discovery is one of the reasons that explain the decision to live in a foreign country. He then adopts the posture of an observer or researcher, distancing him from the local population and allowing him to remain in his isolation, guaranteeing a symbolic and subjective freedom. This distancing is marked by the fact of retaining his accent as a reminder that the quality of foreigner is not negotiable because it is part of the emigrant's identity.

Is the retired immigrant a 'lone wolf' refusing or fearing emotional commitment? Exile and the ordeal of the unknown inevitably bring us back to the question of 'who am I'? How can we integrate while remaining different?

Leaving one's country is not trivial. It not only reflects the geography of a place, but also a memory, a collective history that, depending on each person's subjective experience, can generate flight, anxiety, hatred, or open up creativity in the case of sublimation. It can be a way to repair a history or a subjective flaw. But as the literature shows, this is not without risk.

A change of identity

Several elements enter into the construction of an individual's identity: their physical appearance, their lineage through the given name but also the transmission of symbolic values, their status within the public space but also the acceptance of otherness. Because a singular and subjective identity is only formed because the other recognizes it.

Leaving pushes one to seek a source of completeness elsewhere. It is a decision that challenges the routine of social identity. The individual turns away from the social, cultural, or political identity that has contributed to their subjective identity construction. This step always takes place in solitude. Distancing occurs through distance, but also through time or language.

Expatriates create a bridge to a greater understanding of realities that until recently remained distant. They open the way to a new understanding.

The driving force behind departure remains the imagination, that of departure, of the experience to be lived. This imagination is nourished by family stories but also by cultural or myths shared by a community. Drawing on myth is a way for Man to give meaning to his life by constructing the imagination of his experience in connection with these sacred stories, these models of life conduct. If the decision to leave is based on the family myth, the choice of the host country is nourished by media imagination.

Departure allows the individual to position themselves from an identity point of view, by asking themselves the question: who am I? What are my values? My vision of the world?

The journey, a solitary wandering

To travel means to imagine, to anticipate, to give substance to a desire. Reality can sometimes be different. There is always a distance between the individual, their imagination, and the object of their experience.

According to Baudelaire, it is not so much the destination as the desire to leave that is at issue in the journey. Rites of passage must be respected: borders, papers, visas… mark the stages of a metamorphosis of the self, within an experience which itself includes a dimension linked to initiation in a form of quest. This quest can take different forms depending on the meaning given by the individual: quest for wisdom or adventure, it is always about searching and trying to find answers or alternatives

“The journey becomes the symbol of an experience, giving human action a transcendence that connects man to the unknown: the quest. […] A detour through the unknown, it is the sign of an inner journey with the inexorable attempt to grasp the meaning of life and death.” (Fernandez Bernard, nomadic identity, p.29)

The myth of travel cultivates adventure but also escape. The retiree who decides to go into exile is free to move. Nothing forces him to integrate. Even if he wants to distance himself, his original cultural and political identity remains.

Socialization

Successful socialization requires the acceptance of humankind in its diversity. This occurs on two levels: first, through the acceptance of the individual and social identity of others, and, at the collective level, through the acceptance of identity traits common to all humankind. In other words, this means accepting individual difference and collective similarity. According to Lévi-Strauss, "otherness introduces a double relativity: the unity of humankind and cultural plurality."

To integrate, you must first understand the local cultural codes, and this requires effort. Then it's a matter of finding your place. This involves several steps: first, getting rid of prejudices and other stereotypes, then immersing yourself in the culture in order to achieve, if possible, an objective understanding of everyday life. But three obstacles can slow down or even derail integration: language, culture and social norms, and human relations between the emigrant and the local population.

The exchange with the participants allowed the opening of a symbolic space – time during which we returned to our experiences in order to better understand them.

Myth of the return

These expatriates are facilitators of an experience of Elsewhere and otherness. They are solitary. Being a facilitator implies a voluntary action on the part of the subject but also of those to whom the message is intended. If the receiver lacks openness or curiosity, sharing the experience is then impossible. However, sedentary people are wary of travelers due to archaic fears linked to the unknown. Social and political identity cannot be reconstituted, unlike singular identity.

When an individual moves abroad, they experience a movement in space, time, and within themselves. By emigrating, retirees set out to discover otherness. They are confronted with situations that lead them to rethink their identity, but also that of others and the social spaces in which they evolve. By removing themselves from their social space, their culture, their community, they are led to review their thought patterns. This experience pushes them to open their minds to other possibilities and move from the imaginary to confronting reality. The individual has a unique experience of understanding the dynamics of their identity construction and of questioning them if necessary.

Bibliography

Clodd, S. (2020). Facing the future: Exploring the transpersonal in contemplating retirement. A heuristic study. Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology, 1, 94-107.

Fernandez, B. (2002), Nomadic Identity, Ed. Economica, 2717845127.

Tourn. L. (1997). Work of exile, mourning, uprooting, expatriate identity. PUF, Septentrion, Paris