Diaspora Experience Research Articles

The Acculturation of Pakistanis in Singapore

ABSTRACT This article explores the process of acculturation for Pakistanis in Singapore and their later generation descendants from the country’s colonial period to the present day, focusing on the complexities brought about by migration, colonialism, and nationhood. It analyses how the historical context, namely Singapore’s unique position as a multicultural British colony situated in the Malay peninsula has shaped the experiences of this diaspora community in a variety of ways. Using qualitative research methods and employing cross-cultural psychologist John Berry’s acculturation strategies and multicultural adaptation hypothesis, the article argues that the acculturation process has been facilitated by the sense of cultural and socio-economic security among Pakistani immigrants and their families, amidst evolving political developments and top-down policies during Singapore’s transition from a British colony to an independent nation. The findings of this study will contribute to our understanding of diaspora experiences in multicultural societies and provide insights into the complex dynamics of acculturation in a rapidly changing social context.

Foreigners in Venice

This article reviews a selection of works by Black diaspora artists who were included in the 2024 Venice Biennale. The article focuses on artists included in the pavilions of Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Benin, along with artists included in the Arsenale and the collateral exhibition Passengers in Transit. Drawing on the biennale’s theme of Foreigners Everywhere, the author explores how these artists engaged with its expanded meanings, drawing on the experiences of mobility, impermanence, diaspora, and nation building. The article details the different registers these terms hold for Black diaspora artists, as they address concerns about climate change, social injustice, migrant labor, cultural memory, and understandings of the nation. In beginning with these questions, these artists also assert new starting points in which Africa’s global significance historically and toward the future was reiterated, defamiliarizing the terrain of art-historical production. Artists also explored these questions using methods that often enfolded the personal with the diverse experiences of a collective, returned viewers to local and indigenous knowledge systems, foregrounded human and non-human relations, and looked toward difficult and unacknowledged histories to imagine what might be possible, collectively, now and in times to come.

Harnessing the diaspora advantage

As Africa strides towards attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 for inclusive development, harnessing both internal and external expertise is crucial. Yet, the continent's vast, highly skilled diaspora remains largely sidelined in education systems and knowledge economies. This paper explores the lived experiences of the African diaspora including professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs, and African stakeholders, including academics, university leadership, policymakers, and business leaders, using the coloniality lens to develop a framework for equitable and inclusive diaspora knowledge democracy. Data collection involved interviews with 25 diaspora professionals and 15 African stakeholders. Findings revealed a complex interplay of factors which constrain equitable and inclusive diaspora knowledge democracy which promotes diaspora contribution to Africa’s development. However, both groups expressed a strong commitment to Africa’s progress. The paper proposes a framework for collaborative approaches for dismantling colonial dividers through policy supported by building blocks such as incentives and support, knowledge exchange, engagement channels, and impact reviews. By positioning the diaspora as equitable knowledge democracy partners, Africa can accelerate research translation and fuel sustainable growth.

Social determinants of participation in genetic research among Puerto Ricans and in the Puerto Rican diaspora

Puerto Ricans are underrepresented in genetic research. This underrepresentation denies Puerto Ricans the benefit from therapeutic developments that could mitigate health disparities arising from conditions for which genetically-derived treatments exist. The Puerto Rican diaspora, especially post-2017 due to economic and environmental crises, has expanded within the USA. Prior research suggests that Latin American diaspora communities are less likely to participate in genetic research. We hypothesized, specifically, that the Puerto Rican diaspora in the USA would be less likely to participate in genetic research than would Puerto Ricans in their homeland's archipelago, and that accounting for social and cultural determinants related to the diaspora experience would mitigate this disparity. We implemented an analytical cross-sectional study of archipelago-residing Puerto Ricans and of the USA-residing diaspora to evaluate this hypothesis. With 1582 Puerto Ricans (723 in Puerto Rico, 859 in the USA), we found that while most participants would participate in genetic research, participation rates varied significantly by diaspora status. Puerto Ricans born and living in the USA were initially more likely to decline participation compared to those in Puerto Rico (OR = 1.54, p < 0.01). However, once adjusted for social and cultural variables, this difference was eliminated (aOR = 1.08, p = n.s.). The factors influencing non-participation include oppression, discrimination, distrust, and social determinants, aligning with the theory of minoritization. An important community in the USA and in the world, Puerto Ricans have the right to participate in well-conducted research and to benefit from its findings, particularly around topics that could help address existing disparities in health outcomes.

Uncovering the Nexus of Identity and Forced Migration: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Study of Afghan Women’s Experiences in Diaspora

This qualitative research investigates the educational mobility of Afghan women in diaspora, particularly those who have experienced forced migration following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The study delves into how their intersectional identities, including gender, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status, shape their educational experiences. These Afghan women's educational journeys are further complicated by the challenges posed by political and economic conditions in refugee communities, which limit their access to education and employment opportunities while increasing the risk of discrimination and violence. Using an autoethnographic approach, we leverage our personal experiences as Afghan women who immigrated to Canada during two distinct Taliban occupation eras. Through self-reflection, journaling, and daily life observation, we provide nuanced insights into the multifaceted challenges faced by Afghan women during their forced displacement and migration.

Exploring Mythical Realism and Diasporic Identity in The Mistress of Spices: A Multifaceted Analysis

In this research article, we delve into the intricate interplay between myth, magical realism, and the diaspora experience among Indian immigrants in the United States in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel, The Mistress of Spices. Through a comprehensive analysis, the present study investigates how the narrative employs these elements to weave a tapestry of cultural identity, displacement, and otherworldly enchantment. The article uncovers the ways in which the protagonist, Tilo, navigates the complex realms of myth and magic while simultaneously grappling with the challenges of diasporic existence. By focusing on the novel's portrayal of a mystical Indian spice shop in California, we examine the transformative power of spices and the profound influence of cultural myths in shaping the immigrant experience. Tilo’s journey reflects the broader immigrant experience which blends ancient traditions with contemporary challenges in a deeply human and magical tale. By employing a multidisciplinary approach, we offer a nuanced perspective on the novel's themes that enriches our understanding of the intricate connections between storytelling, cultural memory, and the Indian-American immigrant’s narrative.

튀르키예 아동문학에 나타난 디아스포라 의식: 소설 『전쟁에서 도망친 나무』를 중심으로

For more than a decade, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war that has pitted Syrian rebels against government forces. Syrian refugees who have crossed the border have found shelter in neighboring countries, including Türkiye. As the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, 21st-century Turkish literature has seen the emergence of a significant body of diasporic literature that explores the lives and stories of Syrian refugees. In this study, we wanted to examine various refugee issues, focusing on the novel If I were a bird, I'd fly home, which vividly depicts the pain and inner conflicts that Veşir, a refugee boy who fled from Syria to Türkiye, experiences in diaspora. The novel describes the search for a new identity as a refugee, the lack of basic human needs such as food, discriminatory attitudes towards refugees and economic poverty. In particular, the novel explores the difficult lives of refugees who have been forced to flee their homeland due to civil war and are now in an unfamiliar environment through the unadorned eyes of a child.

Uncanny strangeness in Ubah Cristina Ali Farah’s novel Little Mother

This article explores Ubah Cristina Ali Farah’s novel Madre Piccola/Little Mother through a unique lens diverging from conventional postcolonial approaches. Departing from the predominant focus on Italian postcolonialism, the analysis employs Freudian and Kristevan concepts to examine the interplay of uncanny strangeness within Somali identity and diaspora experiences in Italy. The protagonist, Domenica Axad, embodies this interplay as she navigates between Somalia and Italy, encountering feelings of familiarity and estrangement. The article also examines the deterritorialization of the Somali language, tracing its displacement alongside the characters, and emphasizes its connection with Freudian and Kristevan concepts rather than its subversive potential. Through the embedding of Somali words within the Italian narrative, the novel achieves an uncanny strangeness, enriching our understanding of cultural hybridization and dynamics of migration in diasporic literature.

The influence of Islam on Zulu Muslims in KwaZulu-Natal

This article explores the influence of Islam among the Zulu Muslims in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Although several studies focus on the history and experiences of the Asian diaspora or Asian Muslim community, there is a considerable lack of literature on the influence of Islam on the Zulu Muslims’ personal experiences beyond the conversion narratives. This study seeks to examine the impact of Islam on the cultural and religious identities of individuals who have converted to Islam within the Zulu community. This research article used qualitative research with a phenomenological approach conducted in several areas in KZN. The data for this study were acquired from literature, interviews and observations conducted among the Zulu Muslims in KZN. The data analysis technique employed in this work utilises a comprehensive approach, wherein all the acquired data are considered significant, and no reduction is applied.Contribution: The non-Muslim Zulus in KZN tend to stigmatise Zulu Muslim converts, perceiving them as having abandoned their cultural heritage. The Zulu Muslims who converted to Islam developed their own unique interpretation of the religion by blending Islamic principles with Zulu cultural elements. This allowed them to establish a sense of identity that they believe to be both authentically Zulu and free from colonial influences, in contrast to the Christianised Zulu population.

Second-generation South Asian [im]migrants: a new frontier of diaspora tourism

ABSTRACT Diaspora tourism refers to the travel and tourism activities of individuals or communities of a particular ethnicity or culture to their ancestral or historical destinations. The study of diaspora tourism remains a challenging endeavour, mainly due to the apparent inadequacy of previous studies. Diaspora tourism is often viewed as a form of ‘homecoming.’ I argue that tourism in the traditional sense is different from the tourism rganized by the second-generation diaspora because these generations do not simply go to their ancestor’s places to explore the connections. Hence, this research seeks to understand the lived experiences of second-generation immigrants better when they visit their ancestral lands and the influence of second-generation transnationalism on their experiences of diaspora tourism. This study will contribute to the literature on diaspora tourism by comparing first and second-generation immigrants and highlighting the differences in their tourism experiences in the South Asian diaspora.

Where is the Place for Black Atlantic Literature and Authorship?

In the wake of Black Atlantic terror, enslavement, colonialism and violence, is there a place for literature? Where is there a place for the author? In other words, to rethink poet Muriel Rukeyser’s question, where is there a place for Black Atlantic literature and authorship? Proposing Paul Gilroy’s The Black Atlantic as the window through which to answer these questions, this essay focuses on the place for/of literature and authorship as Gilroy thinks them through an engagement with Richard Wright’s life and work, and also through the work of other Black Atlantic authors, primarily C.L.R. James, Toni Morrison, Aimé Césaire and Édouard Glissant. These figures show that the Black Atlantic author must persist in tenaciously writing through and within the violence that defines their experiences, revealing the necessity of such literature and the importance of producing such a literary practice. This essay poses that there is no place for Black Atlantic authorship if the author is not grappling, writing, and “living with,” as Toni Morrison would suggest, the unspeakable violence and absolute terrors of experience—scenes of horror must be (re)made through cultural production or there can be no poesis. This process of transformation amid (dis)location is grounded in the Black Atlantic experience of terror and diaspora, about which Gilroy writes, concluding his final chapter with an analysis of the Jewish diasporic experience. Because this essay engages a Jewish poet’s provocation in order to think the Black Atlantic, it is crucial to interrogate both the significance of this invocation and Gilroy’s assessment of the intimate interconnection and solidarity between the Black and Jewish experiences.

Cultural Dissemination of North African Diaspora in Western Europe: From Pasts to Pixels

This study takes stock of the North African diaspora's experiences in Western Europe across four distinct generations. It draws on a tailored theoretical framework to deconstruct the interactions of the historical experiences, societal shifts, and identity negotiations these generations have gone through in the process of cultural dissemination. The central question of the paper revolves around understanding the ways digital platforms and social media influence the negotiation and preservation of cultural heritage, as well as looking into how these technological advancements impact the formation of diasporic identities. The primary objective herein is to shed light on the challenges, resistances, and adaptations experienced by the four generations (Pioneering, Integration, Globalization, and Digital Generations) in the face of cultural differences, discrimination, and the unique opportunities afforded by the digital age. Furthermore, the objective is to contribute to the existing body of literature by adopting a holistic approach that synthesizes various aspects of the diasporic experience, shedding light on the ways in which technology shapes the cultural narratives of North African communities, ultimately offering some insights into the broader discourse on cultural resilience, connectivity, and the evolving nature of diasporic communities in the contemporary world.

A Qualitative Study on Kerala Youth Diaspora

The experiences and challenges the Kerala youth diaspora face are poorly understood. While there is some research on migration and diaspora in Kerala, there is a need for more focused research on the experiences of young people in the diaspora. The Kerala youth diaspora also faces challenges, such as adapting to new cultures, dealing with discrimination, and maintaining their cultural identity. Many young Keralite struggles to balance their traditional values with the demands of a new environment, which can cause stress and anxiety. This research paper aims to address this gap by exploring the experiences of the Kerala youth diaspora and how they contribute to the development of Kerala and to examine the experiences of the Kerala youth diaspora and identify ways to support and engage with them. By engaging with the diaspora and understanding their experiences, this research paper can contribute to creating policies and programs that better meet their needs and support their engagement with Kerala. This can lead to a more inclusive and sustainable approach to development that leverages the potential of the Kerala youth diaspora and other diaspora communities.

Old Testament Perspective on Migration and Its Implications for Africans in Diaspora

This paper explores the Old Testament perspective on migration and its implications for Africans in the diaspora. Migration has been a significant aspect of human history, shaping societies and cultures across the globe. Africans in the diaspora have a unique experience of migration, often driven by historical factors such as the transatlantic slave trade. By examining Old Testament narratives, this paper aims to shed light on the theological and ethical dimensions of migration and provide insights into the experiences of Africans in the diaspora. The paper emphasizes themes of displacement, liberation, justice, and cultural preservation within the context of migration while acknowledging the complexity and diversity of the African diaspora experience.

Performing Distinction in Big Banana: Culture at the Margins of Visibility

Central American writers have perceptively engaged with the concept of world literature from their minor positionality. For instance, as implied in the mocking undertone of its title, Roberto Quesada’s Big Banana (2000) deals with being at the edge of the periphery, following a Honduran migrant in the Latin American community in New York. Quesada explores how the protagonist channels his “deseo de mundo”, to use Mariano Siskind’s words, into a strategy of performing distinction to carve out a place for himself in a cosmopolitan society. Compounding “banana republic”—an expression coined by O. Henry, inspired by Honduras—with “The Big Apple”, Big Banana’s title underscores the book’s play with cultural registers and national and worldly identities. The growing scholarship on Central American and U.S. Central American literature has analyzed the novel through the lens of coloniality, the limits of solidarity, the experience of the Central American diaspora, and as “denuncia social”. My article instead traces how cultural productions acquire different valences each time they cross the center–periphery border in the performance of distinction that Big Banana and its protagonist carry out in response to their doubly peripheral position. In other words, this essay is concerned with the novel’s problematic instrumentalization of Western hegemonic culture—both highbrow and commercial popular culture—to make claims of worldliness and carve a space for itself in world literary circuits.

A study of the Asian diaspora experience: from historical exclusion to knowledges that count in education

ABSTRACT This article examines the Asian diaspora experience from historical exclusion to the production of oppositional and alternative knowledges that count in education. The first section critically examines historical and contemporary discourses across disciplines on the construction of identity such as who is considered an Asian and Asian American, who comprises the Asian diaspora, and with what consequences. The second section explores theoretical frameworks proposed by scholars for deconstructing received knowledge about Asians as an ontological subject constructed within binaries and hierarchies and radical methodologies for research that speak to the lived diaspora experience. The third section presents Asian diaspora counterstories of resistance, activism, and advocacy and the production of transformative knowledges worth knowing in education. The article concludes with the hope that the Asian diaspora experience will open possibilities for Asian Diaspora Experience (ADE) as a field of inquiry in continuing the cultural and political work of social and educational change.

Allegations of Racial Identity Factor in Job Placement in Germany: Africans in the Diaspora Experience.

Racial consideration is a challenge to the realization of peaceful co-existence and motivation of citizens in job process in a state which can affect the expected levels of development. Thus, discrimination based on identity factor in the economic activities of a state tends to slow down the will power and motivations of the affected citizens towards achieving the set goals of the organization and/or the state. The paper examined the allegations of racial identity factor in job placement in Germany with regard to Africans in the Diasporas. Utilizing secondary source of data, content Analysis and Structural Functionalism Theory, the paper made the following findings. Firstly, that identity discrimination in job placement in Germany is real. Secondly, Diaspora Africans in Germany are not properly placed in job positions because of their identity and this has affected their motivations and dedication to their jobs. To get the best from the Diaspora Africans in Germany, therefore, the paper recommended among others that in job placement process in Germany, merit should be the determining factor and not the consideration of colour, race or identity. Also, equal treatment should be given to all in job situation for the sake of social justice, efficiency and maximum productivity.

CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF MYKHAILO HRUSHEVSKY DURING THE TIME OF EMIGRATION: MODERN HISTORIOGRAPHIC RECEPTION

Based on the analysis of diverse historiographical sources, the article reconstructs the reception of M. Hrushevsky’s cultural, educational, and scientific-pedagogical activities during his emigration, as reflected in Ukrainian studies from the late 20th century to the early decades of the 21st century. Reconstructing modern historiographical images of the cultural and educational work of the prominent historian during 1919-1923, the growing interest in this aspect of his national service during the last thirty years has been proven, in terms of volume and number of subjects. The author indicated that modern researchers, without the diaspora experience of the cultural and educational Hrushevsky studies, conducted considerable heuristic work and, for the first time, outlined the multifaceted nature of M. Hrushevsky's enlightening activity during his emigration wanderings. As a result, fairly fact-saturated reconstructions of his didactic work have emerged (V. Masnenko, V. Ulyanovskyi, I. Matyash) as well as lecture and popularization activity (V. Potulnytskyi, A. Sadov, D. Sudyn), culturally aware journalistic work (A. Zhukovsky, S. Pankova) and scientific popularization (M. Kapral, A. Felonyuk, V. Telvak). The cultural and educational Hrushevsky studies of that time is in the "shadow" of his scientific and, especially, social and political activity. This often complicates the independent study of relevant issues, which leads to fragmentation in the reconstruction of the scientist's cultural and educational service. Therefore, an urgent task is an independent comprehensive study of the above-mentioned subjects, which will allow approaching the ripe problem of the synthesis of cultural and educational practices of M. Hrushevsky as an organic component of his intellectual biography. Keywords: M. Hrushevsky, emigration era, cultural and educational activity, modern Ukrainian historiography, reception.

Translocalizing the space of old Nubia in digital narrative: Resemiotized chronotopes as markers of identity

Digitality is closely related to and expressed within analogicity, offering a sense of intersectional continuity between the online and offline realms. However, this poses a theoretical and conceptual challenge, particularly when addressing the heterogenous notion of contemporary diaspora as a phenomenon of online/offline and past/present co-constituency. To this end, this article advances a semio-chronotopic approach to reclaiming indigenous identities. It aims at decentring the concept of spatial dispersal by situating diaspora within a temporal continuum. The article investigates the Nubian Facebook* page Al Nuba Café in this concern. Deployment of the notion of resemiotization enables us to analyse narrative networks of Nubian diaspora as mediatized through digital space. It is found that Nubian online narrative shows a chronotopic condition of coeval alignment in which the two identity events before and after the displacement are kept conflated. The posts are found to blur the boundaries between the spatiotemporal there-and-then of the story and of the here-and-now of the storytelling world. The study concludes that Nubian digital tellings of diaspora are organized within a continuum of specific chronotopes that vacillate between past and present, spatial yearning and temporal nostalgia, statehood and diaspora, roots and routes, delineating an umbrella chronotope of the changing same. This semio-chronotopic conceptualisation of Nubian diaspora acknowledges the centrality of translocal temporality in its manifestation. Accordingly, the study argues that while space is considered the primary measure of diaspora in the analogue contexts, digital context emphasizes a rather the temporal dimension which dynamically participates in the reproduction of translocal diaspora experiences.

Glocal Borders in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast (2021)

Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film Belfast (2021) tells the story of a young boy, Buddy, growing up in Belfast in the sectarian border zones that internally fissured the state of Northern Ireland. This article suggests that the movie’s critical success partly rests on the movie’s glocal approach to Belfast’s history, including its border zones. The film employs a number of aesthetic devices to turn the local experiences of Buddy into a global narrative about childhood, family and border zones. Among these tools are the use of self-referential framing devices, the child’s perspective and elements of nostalgia that link local history to transnational bonds of affection. By using a child's perspective, Belfast transcends the ruptures inherent in Belfast’s zones of division to create connections across cultural, ideological and physical spaces. Situated in a glocal framework, Buddy’s childhood symbolically embodies the experiences of a collective Irish diaspora, one that thinks back to its own or its family’s migrant experiences and turns it into a source of emotional belonging.