Diaspora Experience Research Articles

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.

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.

Cultural Identity and Racism

This paper delves into the intricate relationship between cultural identity, racism, and the various factors shaping these dynamics, particularly within the context of the United States. Cultural identity is explored as a pivotal aspect of individual and collective existence, profoundly influenced by racial constructs and historical legacies. Racism, deeply embedded in societal structures, is identified as a significant impediment to fostering harmonious cultural relations. This paper emphasizes the critical role played by films, academic works, artworks, and increased cultural diversity in shaping and improving cultural identities. Examining the concept of race, the paper underscores its historical and cultural underpinnings, pointing out its impact on societal divisions and inequalities. Stuart Hall, who promoted Afro-Caribbean cultural identity through cinema, is discussed. Cultural practices, historical events, and film depictions of the Black experience are examined as crucial to cultural identity maintenance and rediscovery. The paper also emphasizes race diversity and Black intellectuals' role in cultural reshaping. Cultural identity is complex, and double consciousness and Black Atlantic diaspora experiences are crucial. Music is especially effective at expressing cultural diaspora and continuity. Jazz and contemporary Black art movements helped shape cultural identity. The paper argues that art, intellectual pursuits, and written history help people feel connected and understand diverse cultures. Despite these positive influences, racism still hinders cultural identity, the paper says. The paper argues that cultural identities must be preserved by avoiding racism and promoting cultural relativity. Lack of cultural integration also erodes cultural identities. The paper concludes by emphasizing cultural identity preservation and recommends a multidisciplinary approach involving media, history, academia, and art for overcoming racism to promote diversity and cultural integration.

Diaspora Modern

Abstract Diaspora is a defining condition of the history of the past century, a prehistory to our disastrous moment in time and also the foundation of our political landscape. Yet it is notably absent in much art-historical discussion of modernism, despite the fact that the experiences of diaspora and migration are often embedded in the lives of modernist artists and other actors; in the formations, networks, and dispersals of modernist institutions and group affiliations; and in the deployment of characteristically modernist artistic strategies (temporal fragmentation, collage, montage, and the readymade) that manifest a dialectical entanglement of self and other. This essay ponders the disconnect between the historical structures of modernism in art and its theorization, and considers the questions: Can diaspora and diasporic thinking help further our understanding of the twentieth century in art? Can it help us in reconsidering modernism from a diasporic perspective today? As prompts for further thought, the text considers four historical episodes in which ideas of diaspora, modernity, and modernism are entwined: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First Universal Races Congress in London 1911; Georg Simmel, Du Bois, and Alain Locke in Berlin and the emergence of a matrix of modern sociological thinking; Mikhail Bakhtin in exile in Kazakhstan and the formation of his dialogical philosophy of language; and Aaron Douglas and Meyer Shapiro at the First American Artists’ Congress in 1936 and in the pages of Art Front.

“Things” and the Diasporic Self in Mahjoub’s The Carrier and Hammad’s The Parisian

The present article examines the impact of “things” on the self-concept of diasporic individuals in Anglophone Arab novelists Jamal Mahjoub’s The Carrier (1998) and Isabella Hammad’s The Parisian (2019). Particularly, it highlights how certain “things” help the protagonist in each novel to perceive himself and to define his life mission. For this, the current study is situated within the theoretical frameworks of “Thing Theory” and theories of self-concept. It argues that certain “things” are important factors in the development of each protagonist’s identity and his understanding of his own self. Not only do these “things” influence the protagonist’s character and substantially form his/her identity, but they also give the reader clues about the transformations that these protagonists undergo during their experiences in diaspora. By tracing the relationship between the protagonists and certain “things” in each novel, one may form a better idea of how diasporic experiences affect and inform an individual’s self-concept. Keywords: Jamal Mahjoub; Isabella Hammad; Thing Theory; Diaspora; Self-concept.

Shopping Experience of Indonesian Diaspora in Europe Related to Primark’s Reputation and Customer Attitude towards Unethical and Unsustainable Business Practice Brands

When Primark is alleged to be an unethical and unsustainable fashion brand after the accident in Bangladesh in 2013, we would like to know further about the public’s response as well as their attitude toward fast fashion brands selling cheap clothes, including Primark. With such a reputation, we also want to get a deeper yet broader range of understanding by conducting interview with our respondents who are Indonesian diaspora (who have been to Europe) and some European citizens. We asked them about their point of view and their experience in purchasing items both in fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands. The research method used is qualitative, with interviews as a data collection technique. The result showed that the reputation of Primark as a fast fashion brand as well as its accusation of unethical and unsustainable business practices, affect consumer behavior in purchasing fashion products. Brand reputation also has a strong connection between consumer attitude and buying decisions. Despite buying decisions with sustainable brands not yet done hugely by now, consumers have started to rethink shopping with fashion brands that practice business against the law and norms regarding society and the environment.