GS221 Lecture 4: Diasporas & Hybridization
Document Summary
The idea of diaspora is it important since it involves the flows (migrations) of people. These histories give us some understand of the ways in which cultures may be fragmented, lost, and distorted. A group of people who have left (been forced to leave) that have deep loyalty to the homeland. Three core elements emerge as important: dispersion particularly forced or traumatic dispersion of a group of people that have a shared identity. Occurs across nation state borders: homeland orientation homeland is source of identity. Connection to another home: boundary maintenance self-imposed segregation so community sticks to themselves. Food becomes a way to anchor and remember, in canada, the cultural identities of the homeland. Some diasporic peoples feel the need to create faithful representation of culture and are invested in the frozen image of the homeland. Even though culture is a concept that is contested and even disliked by critical race theorists, it cannot be discounted.
