Cypriot Youth Views Matter: Comparison of Diaspora and Islander Youth’s Views on Peace

ABSTRACT This contribution compares the perception of peace of Cypriot youth, who live on the island and in the United Kingdom, and is based on interviews with them. Even though Cyprus has a large diaspora community compared to its population, diaspora studies have been unable to garner attention to the role of the Cypriot diaspora in peacebuilding in their homeland. Ignorance of young people both on the island and in the diaspora has prevented the inclusion of Cypriot youth in politics and peace processes. However, the role and perceptions of young people either in diaspora or on the island are quite important to reach sustainable peace. Youth’s readiness for peace and willingness to co-exist would affect the outcome of a process. Accordingly, this contribution of the collection offers a two-part contribution to the literature: first, focusing on the neglected youth dimension in peace and conflict studies, and second, providing a comparative analysis of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot diaspora youth in the diaspora studies.