Homeland politics, imagined homeland, and the formation of Oromo diaspora identity

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article looks at how homeland politics have shaped the perceptions of the homeland and host countries among the Oromo diaspora community. Unfavorable political conditions in Ethiopia have encouraged ethnic Oromo living in North American diaspora communities to construct alternative physical and social landscapes that evoke feelings of nostalgia while maintaining their engagement with homeland affairs. These imagined landscapes have gradually become an integral part of their enduring memories, and most of the forced emigres are now keen to involve themselves in the social and economic issues of their place of birth, rather than simply focusing on their daily routines in their host countries. This demonstrates an ongoing nexus between the country of origin and host countries that maintains and encourages transnationalism.