Diaspora

Related Topics:
Diaspora

The term diaspora (Ancient Greek διασπορά, "a scattering or sowing of seeds") is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture.

In the beginning, the term Diaspora (capitalized) was used by the Ancient Greeks to refer to citizens of a grand city who migrated to a conquered land with the purpose of colonization to assimilate the territory into the empire. The original meaning was cut off from the present meaning when the Old Testament was translated to Greek, the word diaspora was used to refer specifically to the populations of Jews exiled from Judea in 586 BC by the Babylonians, and Jerusalem in 136 AD by the Roman Empire. This term is used interchangeably to refer to the historical movements of the dispersed ethnic population of Israel, the cultural development of that population, or the population itself. The probable origin of the word is the Septuagint version of Deuteronomy 28:25, "thou shalt be a diaspora (Greek for dispersion) in all kingdoms of the earth". The term has been used in its modern sense since the late twentieth century.

The academic field of diaspora studies was established in the late twentieth century, in regard to the expanded meaning of 'diaspora'. Jacob Riis, a profound writer, concluded that diaspora was established in the mid twentieth century but it was a confirmed fact that the expanded meaning of diaspora was thoroughly researched in the late twentieth century.

History is replete with diaspora-like events. The Migration Period relocations, which included several phases is just one of many. The first phase Migration Period displacement from between AD 300 and 500 included relocation of the Goths (Ostrogoths, Visigoths), Vandals, Franks, various Germanic tribes (Burgundians, Langobards, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Suebi, Alamanni, Varangians), Alans and numerous Slavic tribes. The second phase, between AD 500 and 900, saw Slavic, Turkic and other tribes on the move, re-settling in Eastern Europe and gradually making it predominantly Slavic, and affecting Anatolia and the Caucasus as the first Turkic peoples (Avars, Bulgars, Huns, Khazars, Pechenegs) arrived. The last phase of the migrations saw the coming of the Magyars and the Viking expansion out of Scandinavia.

The twentieth century continued to see massive ethnic refugee crises, due to war and the rise of nationalism, fascism, communism and racism, as well as from natural disasters and economic collapse. The first half of the twentieth century saw the creation of hundreds of millions of ethnic refugees across Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Many of these refugees who did not die from starvation or war went to the Americas.

List of notable diasporas

The Acadian Diaspora or Great Expulsion (Grand Dérangement) occurred when the British expelled ~10,000 Acadians (over three-fourths of the Acadian population in Nova Scotia) between 1755 and 1764. The British sent members of the same community to different colonies to impose assimilation.
Afghan people who fled their country throughout the 20th century and the long civil wars
The African diaspora comprises the indigenous peoples of Africa and their descendants, wherever they are in the world beyond the African continent.
Arabs who have migrated out from the Arab World, and now reside in Western Europe, the Americas, Australia and elsewhere. (see Arab diaspora)
Armenians living in their ancient homeland, which had been controlled by the Ottoman Empire for centuries, fled persecution and massacres during several periods of forced emigration, from the 1880s to the 1910s, including the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Many Armenians settled in California, France and Lebanon (see Armenian Diaspora).
Australian Diaspora is a new and somewhat contentious term, probably coined by the Southern Cross Group, to refer to the 860,000 Australians living overseas. The migrations have a variety of causes ranging from war brides and their children to the more recent exodus of young Australians to Europe under working holiday visa programmes.
Basque diaspora, Basques who left the Basque Country, usually to the Americas for economic or political reasons. There are also Basque Catholic missionaries.
Bosnian diaspora as a phenomenon appeared after four years of planned ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. It mainly consists of Bosnian Muslims but also out of Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian-Jewish people, and Bosnian-Roma people. People from Bosnia can be found almost anywhere in the world. Many Bosnians live in USA, mostly in large cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, L.A., and many live in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, and many other places.
Chechens who fled Chechnya during the late 20th century insurrection against the Russian Federation
Chinese diaspora
Colombian diáspora
Cornish diaspora refers to Cornish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Mexico. The diaspora was caused by a number of factors, but due mainly to economic reasons and the lack of jobs in the 18th and 19th centuries when many Cornish people or “Cousin Jacks” as they were known migrated to various parts of the world in search of a better life.
Crimean Tatar diaspora, formed after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate by Russia, in 1783.
Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of rest of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, French Caribbean islands, Europe, Australia and North America
The Filipino peoples throughout Australia, the United States, Canada and South-East Asia. Overseas workers have their own political party in the Philippine Congress.
The French Canadian diaspora includes hundreds of thousands of people who left Quebec for "greener pastures" in the United States, Ontario and the Prairies, between 1840 and the 1930s.
Galician diaspora, Galicians who left their country for mainly economic reasons to richer areas of Spain or the Americas (especially Argentina and Cuba) and, later, Western Europe (Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium).
Cuban Diaspora The exodus of over two million Cubans following the Cuban Revolution and the resulting Communist regime. It is the largest diaspora in the history of the Western Hemisphere.
In modern Greek, the word diaspora refers to the large populations of Greek descent living in the United States, Australia and other countries. There is a Department of Diaspora Affairs in the Greek government.(see Greek diaspora).
The Roma (English terms: Gypsy, Gypsies), a traditionally 'dispersed' people in Europe, with origins in South Asia (or perhaps, northern India), are even more 'dispersed' today, following the Holocaust of Nazi Germany. (See Some names for the Roma)
The Heimatvertriebene, the ethnic German refugees and expellees from Eastern Europe and from provinces of the former German Reich during and following World War II, see Oder-Neisse line
The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and nations of the Caribbean and continental Europe. The diaspora contains over 80 million people and it is the result of mass migration from Ireland, due to past famines and political oppression. The term first came widely into use in Ireland in the 1990s when the then-President of Ireland, Mary Robinson began using it to describe all those of Irish descent.
The Jewish diaspora in its historical use, refers to the period between the Roman invasion and subsequent occupation of Land of Israel beginning 70 CE, to the re-establishment of Israel in 1948. In modern use, the 'Diaspora' refers to Jews living outside of the Jewish state of Israel today. There is a 'Ministry of Diaspora Affairs' in the Israeli government, for example.
Palestinians who fled Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (see Palestinian exodus, Palestinian refugees)
"Polonia", the diaspora of the Poles, started with the emigrations after the partitions of Poland, January Uprising and the November Uprising, enlarged by the Nazi policies, and later by the establishment of the Curzon line
Portuguese diaspora
The South Asian diaspora includes millions of people in Suriname, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Mauritius, Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries who left British India in the 19th and early 20th century, and millions more who have moved to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates in recent decades (see Desi).
The Southeast Asian diaspora includes the refugees from the numerous wars that took place in Southeast Asia, such as World War II and the Vietnam War.
- The Boat people who left Vietnam for Hong Kong after the Vietnam war.
The Romanians, who emigrated for the first time in larger figures between 1910 and 1925, and left in mass after the fall of communist regime in Romania in 1989, and comprise the Romanian diaspora, are found today in large numbers in USA, Italy, Spain, Canada.
Various ethnic minorities from areas under Russian and Soviet control following the Russian Revolution, continuing through the mass forced-resettlements under Stalin.
Various groups fled in large numbers from areas under Axis control during World War II, or after the border changes following the war, and formed their own diasporas.
The Somali diaspora that includes ethnic Somalis who live in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, as well other parts of Africa. It also includes the one million people who live in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the Middle East as refugees from the civil war. It altogether numbers between five and seven million. This is almost the same as the population of Somalia itself.
The South African diaspora mainly consists of white South African emigrants, especially to white Afrikaans speakers who have fled the country for a number of reasons. There is also a growing black middle class in South Africa, many of whom are starting to emigrate as well, furthering the demographic weight of South Africans abroad. South Africans have largely settled in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada.
The Ukrainian diaspora, represented by Ukrainians who left their homeland in several waves of emigration, settling mainly in the Americas, but also Australia, and Europe. Also includes the Ukrainians who migrated from Ukraine to other parts of the former Soviet Union (mainly Russian Federation) during Soviet time.
The diaspora of the Tibetan people began in 1959 when the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet.
The Macedonian diaspora was created by Macedonian refugees from Macedonia to the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Germany, Sweden, New Zeland, South African Republic, Argentina, Italy, and many other states. There are approximately 2,000,000 Macedonians worldwide.
Futuristic science fiction sometimes refers to a "Diaspora", taking place when much of humanity leaves Earth to settle on far-flung "colony worlds".

The above list is not comprehensive or definitive. Only a few have been given much historical attention. There is much talk currently (after Hurricane Katrina in 2005) of a New Orleans or US Gulf Coast diaspora, but only time will tell how significant a number of those evacuees will indeed not return.

During the Cold War era, huge populations of refugees continued to form from areas of war, especially from Third World nations; all over Africa, South and Central America, the Middle East, and east Asia.

External links

Diasporas

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Diaspora

List of notable diasporas

See also

External links