Diasporic Identity Research Articles

Gender Identity and Cultural Conflict in Chitra Banerjee’s Select Novels

Indian-born author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has a postcolonial diasporic identity. It has been noted that she is an Asian American writer of exceptional talent. She employs a variety of storytelling techniques while writing with a deep human insight. Her personas are portrayed with such realism that they leave the reader with a lasting impression. This paper looks at how a well-known male characters who show gender role reversal are portrayed in a few of Divakaruni's novels. The pieces under consideration for the analysis are Sister of My Heart and The Vine of Desire. Identity cannot be separated from religious, public, ethnic, and social setting of the reality. The unpredictability of author’s circumstances and assorted nature function in various places of the world. This causes the case of comprehensiveness of gender to an excess. Both the gender has wrestled with the subject of character, yet women’s quest for acknowledgment as a distinct has been confounded, as she begins to understand her capacities and failures. Divakaruni's works are set in a setting that alternates between India and America, and her fearless female characters come from all walks of life. Indian women in Divakaruni, who were torn between the two nations, struggle to define who they are and are entrapped by societal shifts. The novels Sister of My Heart and The Vine of Desire both address identity crises.

Disentangling the Knots of Diasporic Identity through the Prism of Postpositivist Realism in Caryl Phillips’ Crossing the River

Crossing the River (1993) holds within itself a whole history of the Black Diaspora. This history churned through the memories of various characters unfolds before the reader the experience of exile, disillusionment, and loneliness and depicts the diasporic ambivalence and hegemony of the Whites. Through a story of three black people during different time periods and on different continents as they struggle with separation from their native Africa, the novelist invites readers to see how individual stories are intertwined in the wider tapestry of collective memory. Phillips is interested in how narratives of slavery inform the contemporary migrant condition. Phillips explores the myriad associations and connecting points within black history on the imaginative terra firma of his fiction. He calls upon the reader to delve deeper into the ‘visible and obvious’ and to see how the present identities acquired their shape and characteristics; how the cauldron of collective memories, narratives, and stories produced enduring tales of affirmation and resilience. The novel acquires new contours when seen in the light of the Postpositivist realist approach. The theoretical approach enriches the thematic understanding of the novel and substantiates the idea that the concept of identity necessitates a valid epistemological inquiry.

Multimodal Autoethnographic Sincerity

ABSTRACT Critically departing from theories of autoethnography, diaspora, and multimodality, this article introduces “multimodal autoethnographic sincerity,” which I define as a critical communication method that puts the researcher’s affective feelings in conversation with their mediated productions of culture. I use multimodal autoethnographic sincerity to further produce knowledge on an ethnographic film, which I filmed in my father’s provincial hometown Kalibo, Philippines. The new autoethnographic cultural critique I contribute to my film’s diasporic inquiries is a mapping of the festival’s transnational analysis against my affective feelings within my own Filipinx evolving body. I demonstrate the heuristic and generative capacities of a multimodal autoethnographic sincerity that makes multiple communication modes (diasporic body, homeland, cultural critique, filmmaking, and writing) in my knowledge production an ongoing intersubjective inquiry into the Philippines, colonialism, and the legacies of U.S. Empire. Ultimately, multimodal autoethnographic sincerity allows researchers to conceive of and methodologically examine diasporic identity as a relational process versus a racial and ethnic essentialism in today’s mobile condition of diasporic peoples.

Reclaiming Diasporic Identity: Transnational Continuity and National Fragmentation in the Hmong Diaspora, by Sangmi Lee

Reclaiming Diasporic Identity: Transnational Continuity and National Fragmentation in the Hmong Diaspora, by Sangmi Lee

Multilingualism, language choice, and identity construction: Diasporic Ukrainians in Shanghai

AbstractThis article reports on a study of multilingualism, language choice, and identity construction for six Ukrainians in Shanghai, China. Thematic analysis of data collected from netnographic observation, semi‐structured interviews, and narrative frame writing revealed that diasporic Ukrainians’ language choice is both instrumentally strategic and sociopolitically charged; in the public domain, they construct light “citizen of the world” and “nice foreigner” identities; in the private domain, they construct “Ukrainian who speaks Ukrainian language” identity. To understand the seemingly binary or even conflicted situation, we turn to the concept of “social anchoring” and propose a conceptualization of “diasporic people's language choice and identity selection.” This study shows that the construction of diasporic identity is, first of all, an individualistic process, articulating the affective aspect in their seeking psychological stability; it is also a social practice indicating diasporic people's strategies in seeking social stability.

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.

“How authentic is your curry”? performing curry and diasporic identity in Naben Ruthnum’s Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race

ABSTRACT In this article, I examine Indo-Mauritian-Canadian author Naben Ruthnum’s memoir-essay Curry: Eating, Reading, Race (2017) in order to examine the veracity of the dominant perception of South Asian diasporic identity as a collective designation through its association with the ubiquitous dish of curry which embodies a predominant cultural signifier of an extensively diverse population. Ruthnum’s significant aim is to challenge the existence of a supposedly authentic Indian curry and also to question the risk-averse publishing industry which solicits stories steeped in stereotypically authentic and nostalgic experiences from the second or third generation South Asian diasporic authors. Through an exploration of many ideas of authenticity and multiple ways of cooking the diverse dish of curry, I argue that diasporic authenticity is more appropriately performed not through replication and preservation of the past, but through constant recreation and reinvention of an individual’s present predicaments. Authenticity in diaspora is, therefore, unique and individual, and an embodiment of personal history. As there are many truths to the same story, and many versions of the same story, there are multiple ways of cooking authentic curries and diverse modes of confronting one’s own self as a South Asian diasporic in the world.

Diasporic Identity: Disparity and Dislocation in Benyamin’s Goat Days

The influence of literature in contemporary society cannot be underestimated. Each writer uses literature as a means of self-expression. Some books serve as a reflection of society, and offering the readers an insight into the world around them. Goat Days by Benyamin is one of such books. This paper discusses the social concerns and problems narrated in his novel Goat Days. This study focuses on the theme of migration, violence, alienation, homelessness and identity crisis. Goat Days is the translation of the famous Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham which is translated into English by Professor Joseph Koyipally. The protagonist of the novel symbolizes the aspirations of all Malayalees seeking a prosperous future that they believe can be found in the Gulf countries. The background of the novel set in the Oil Era in the Gulf countries, provides the fantasy of a stable future for every ordinary man.

Polyphony

This special issue explores the concept of polyphony in writing art history, using it as a methodological lens to examine diverse voices, along with their intricate interactions and contradictions, archival practices, and the collective creation of knowledge. Ranging from dialogic and experimental approaches to academic styles in writing, the authors embrace a spectrum of narratives in their writing to challenge canonical art history. Exploration of themes such as otherness, cross-cultural encounters, and relational aesthetics are also central, enriching the discourse with varied perspectives. Relational approaches to art history writing exemplify efforts in some of the articles to transcend conventional academic boundaries, offering writing nearby artistic practices and merging written with oral narratives. The issue also examines the role of archives, reflecting on racial and gender-based power dynamics and the concepts of living archive and archival rewriting. Several articles explore the implications of this approach, highlighting the need for a multi-dimensional narrative that acknowledges the complexities of the interactions between local and global discourses, transnational, transcultural, and diasporic identities. In summary, this special issue invites the reader to reconsider the traditional frameworks of art history and to embrace a more inclusive, resonant, and interconnected understanding of the field.

Designing for identity: how and when brand visual aesthetics enable consumer diasporic identity

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how and when visual referents in brand visual aesthetics (i.e. colours, shapes, patterns and materials) serve as design applications that enable consumer diasporic identity. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses an innovative methodology that triangulates 58 in-depth interviews with diasporic consumers, 9 interviews with brand managers and designers and a visual analysis of brands (food retailer, spices and nuts, skincare, hair and cosmetics, ice cream and wine) to provide a view of the phenomenon from multiple perspectives. Findings This study illustrates how and when particular applications and compositions of product and design referents support diasporic identity for Middle Eastern consumers living outside the Middle East. Specifically, it illustrates how the design applications of harmonising (applying separate ancestral homeland and culture of living product and design referents simultaneously), homaging (departing from the culture of living product and design referents with a subtle tribute to ancestral homeland culture) and heritaging (departing from the ancestral homeland culture product and design referents with slight updates to a culture of living style) can enable diasporic identity in particular social situations. Research limitations/implications Although applied to the Middle Eastern diaspora, this research opens up interesting avenues for future research that assesses diasporic consumers’ responses to brands seeking to use visual design to engage with this market. Moreover, future research should explore these design applications in relation to issues of cultural appreciation and appropriation. Practical implications The hybrid design compositions identified in this study can provide brand managers with practical tools for navigating the design process when targeting a diasporic segment. The design applications and their consequences are discussed while visually demonstrating how they can be crafted. Originality/value While previous research mainly focused on how consumption from the ancestral homeland occurred, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine how hybrid design compositions that combine a diaspora’s ancestral homeland culture and their culture of living simultaneously and to varying degrees resonate with diasporic consumers.

Crisis of Genre and Diasporic Identity in Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior

Maxine Hong Kingston makes a conscious choice of presenting a multi-generic narrative in her autobiography, The Woman Warrior (1975) as a method of structural navigation which describes her experiences and struggles while growing up as a Chinese-American girl in California. As a diasporic text this choice of stretching the sacred conventions of autobiographical genre subjects it to scrutiny which primarily focuses on the text’s impact rather than search for meaning for the protagonist. The dispute among critics essentially considers the novel as fiction clumsily disguised as autobiography. This paper argues that the incorporation of talk stories, memory, fact, fiction along with elements of Chinese and American culture enables Kingston to truthfully comprehend a disoriented past where stories of the ‘other’ coexist and help in reconstructing a unique personal self. The deconstruction of generic boundaries in the text become tools for questioning the public-private binary associated with history and autobiography respectively. However, this blurring of distinctions between fiction and non-fiction in the novel is brought about not by ignoring norms of genre but by actively evaluating and engaging with it. An objective retelling of Kingston’s story then relies on multiple subjective experiences and fictious accounts which enable her to situate herself within her family and community and to understand the complexities of Asian-American identity.

Food as a Healing Space for a Diasporic Identity in Grace M. Cho’s Tastes Like War: A Memoir

This paper aims to explore a connection between diasporic identity and culinary choice revolving around the life of the principal character Koonja in Grace M. Cho’s Tastes Like War: A Memoir (2021). It investigates how Koonja performs her culinary choices as a tool to heal and nurture her abjected diasporic identity. To do so, drawing upon the theoretical insights from diaspora and culinary identity, the paper employs the method of qualitative content analysis while analyzing and interpreting the memoir. The paper tracks Koonja’s sense of being displaced and dislocated for various reasons: Japanese and American violence in South Korea, the trauma of losing her family members, rejection and stigma in South Korea as a Yankee whore, giving birth to a son whose father was a mystery, marrying an American man in South Korea and immigrating to the United States (US) and discriminations in the US, and all these turmoils finally causing schizophrenia. The analysis and interpretation of the memoir reveal a finding: amidst Koonja’s sense of diasporic displacement and worthlessness, culinary kinship functions as a means of assimilation, and her culinary choices, which have been saturated by nostalgia for and memory of Korean food, reunite her with an emotional and a gustatory home. The finding implies a therapeutic connection between diaspora and culinary choices revealing food as a healing space in the life of Koonja. Hence, the paper not only offers a fresh perspective to look at the memoir but also creates avenues for critical dialogues in the discourse of diaspora and culinary identity.

Diasporic Identity in Contemporary Sinophone Literature: The Role of Language and Cultural Elements.

Amidst the contemporary diasporic landscape in Sinophone literature, this research critically examines the nexus of language, culture, and identity. The study aims to analyze literary pieces composed in Sinophone languages across diverse diasporic communities and uncover the impact of language and cultural elements on the articulation and comprehension of diasporic identity. This paper used the following. comparative and typological research, an in-depth analysis of three Sinophonic texts, and contextual analysis. The subject of the study was three texts: The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan), Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie), and The Woman Warrior (Maxine Hong Kingston). The results showed that In The Joy Luck Club, language and cultural facets unveil the characters' dual identity struggles due to living abroad, exemplified through code-switching's psychological tension. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress utilizes language and cultural details to underscore the significance of preserving heritage within the diaspora, with literary allusions amplifying this endeavor. In The Woman Warrior, language and cultural elements reflect the heroine's inner conflict as she navigates her dual cultural allegiance. This scholarly revelation deepens comprehension of how these aspects influence identity formation in the diaspora. These findings broaden the understanding of Sinophone diasporic literature, spotlighting shared trends in identity portrayal through language and culture. The research has theoretical value for literary, cultural, and anthropological studies and practical significance, potentially informing educational initiatives on diasporic literature and cultural diversity. This study's outcomes hold relevance for students, researchers, and cultural scholars exploring the role of language and culture in diasporic identity expression.

On How There Is Diasporic Identity

This paper aims to examine what is called “diasporic identity.” The complexity related to this research arises due to the inherent uncertainty and indefinability of identity itself, which is further compounded by the additional layer of uncertainty introduced by the concept of diaspora. The diaspora is not a ready-made, indisputable reality; establishing its existence demands substantiating the claim that it possesses a distinct identity. However, merely demonstrating a shared geographical distance from the homeland raises pertinent questions: Why should the negative circumstance of being distanced from one’s homeland serve as a unifying factor, and does this dispersion give rise to an identity transcending national boundaries? Answering these questions involves looking at the historical context of identity and diaspora and introducing concepts that help understand them. The central thesis posited herein asserts that the manifestation of diasporic identity primarily assumes a narrative form, elucidated through both disciplinary discourse and literary works. With specific reference to the Armenian Diaspora, this exposition contends that, in certain instances, reliance solely on academic discourse proves insufficient in establishing a comprehensive comprehension of diasporic identity. It is asserted that literature, with its metaphoric language, emerges as an essential instrument, providing access to the profound layers inherent to the domain, thereby facilitating a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of diasporic identity.

На перепутье: русскоязычные сообщества в Германии

This research seeks to elucidate the role of diasporas and diasporic worlds during periods of crisis between host and sending societies. The article examines the ethno-cultural group of Russian Germans, which is itself a subset of the broader category of Russian-speaking communities. Examining the case of Russian Germans in Germany, this paper investigates the group's internal structure, as well as its perception by German authorities and the academic community through an analysis of expert opinions, scholarly publications, and official government documents, the author also aims to explore the prevailing trends of polarization, particularly in light of recent geopolitical shifts. The study was conducted within the theoretical framework of transnationalism, identity, and spatial approaches, utilizing the analytic categories of political space, diasporic identity, and transnational diasporas. The policies enacted by Germany and Russia to foster engagement with the Russian-Germans were subjected to analysis. The author concludes that these ethnic communities in both countries are in a worldview crisis, precipitated by both geopolitical transformations and the reverberations of these changes within the global digital sphere. The distinctive status of Russian Germans, characterized by their hybrid identity, coupled with the specificities of the electoral laws of Germany and Russia, constitutes a subject of interest for both scholars across diverse humanitarian disciplines and practical politicians. Both states frequently instrumentalize this group to promote their ideological constructs, thus seeking to extend their spheres of influence. Nevertheless, the strained bilateral relations between the two nations are hindering the potential for these groups to serve as an effective communication bridge. The findings of this study suggest that cultivating strong relationships with Russian-speaking diaspora communities could serve as a valuable strategic asset in fostering collaborative initiatives on both national and international levels.

Lost Pedigree, Racism, and the Enigmas of Diasporic Identity in Maisy Card’s These Ghosts are Family

Lost Pedigree, Racism, and the Enigmas of Diasporic Identity in Maisy Card’s These Ghosts are Family

Theorising Diaspora: Nationalist Discourse in Shaping Diasporic Subjects

Identities of individuals or communities undergo waves of changes and modifications of the constituents of the embodiment they are represented in. Diasporic subjects play a crucial role in the process of identifying the individuals as well as the communities since they reintroduce new perspectives to approach allegiances and categorisations. The paper debates the diaspora from a theoretical perspective focalising on the role of the positionality of the bearers in participating in the construction of the diasporic apprehension in light of the nationalist discourse. It probes the dispersion and detachment of the diasporic subject and the probations of developing diverse identity allegiances while associating themselves to a group or community. It presents different strategies of the individuals in reconnecting to an embodiment of articulations. The very particular elements by which one can distinguish a diasporic subject from those of the others are, themselves, open to restructuring and reformulating. Diasporic identities are not the only variable that goes through the process of development and re-articulation that introduces new aspects to the entity of diaspora. As much as the reformulations that are made to the subjects themselves, what makes up their beings is affected by changes in perspectives toward them. Therefore, the process of re-enunciation contributes to adding new dimensions to the fundamental characteristics that make them distinctive rather than simply reproducing different viewpoints on the subjects and changes to what establishes them.

The Jeju Massacre, National Allegory and Cultural Revolution in Kim Sok Pom’s <i>Karasu no Shi</i> (1957)

What can a spy story tell us about the effects of neo-colonial nation building on diasporic subjectivity? Kim Sok Pom’s 1957 <i>Karasu no Shi</i> [The Death of the Crow] illustrates the lived experience of postcolonial subjectivity in a contested site overrun by competing imperial powers. The novel focusses on the 1948 uprising on Jeju Island, the subsequent division of the Korean peninsula, exile and diasporic identity. It confronts official accounts of Korea’s post-war past and turns a forgotten history into cultural memory, a central task of national allegory; indeed, the article champions an allegorical reading of <i>Karasu no Shi</i>, despite divergent views outlined herein. In Kim’s text, principal characters are situated allegorically on the Korean stage after Japan’s defeat; they personify varying cultural and political attachments or paradigms. Each exists in a state of profound overlap, with the spy as the linchpin. The spy’s divided state of being resonates allegorically with the experiences of <i>zainichi</i> Koreans in early post-war Japan. Saturated with personal and political meaning, the novel contributes to the fabric of <i>zainichi</i> Korean history with threads that tie to the story of a continuing underclass and disrupts enduring notions of a homogenous Japan. Kim ultimately articulates possibilities for survival.

The liverwort who wanted to take root

This article offers an introspective, intentionally imperfect, and contradictory exploration of various dimensions of multiple selves, belonging, and the migrant experience. It focuses on the author’s personal experiences, examining the contradictions and challenges inherent to constructing a diasporic identity. The author unravels the complexities of self-identification and external perceptions, emphasizing how labels, names, and physical appearance influence interactions and self-understanding in specific cultural and geographical contexts. The adequacy of conventional words and terminology is questioned, as is their capacity to fully capture the richness and diversity of migratory and diasporic experiences. An argument is made for a more flexible conceptualization capable of accommodating the wide range of different backgrounds, challenges, and realities of racialized people and migrants of East Asian origin. Overall, the article proposes a re-evaluation and re-orientation of the dominant narratives and discourses around identity and migration. Through a personal reflection, it seeks to celebrate the multiplicity and complexity of diasporic identities and experiences using contradiction as a starting point.

ДІАСПОРА ЯК ГЕТЕРОТОПІЯ В РОМАНІ МАЙКЛА ОНДАТЖЕ “У ШКІРІ ЛЕВА”

The present article examines the postcolonial novel “In the Skin of a Lion” written by Michael Ondaatje, one of Canada’s leading contemporary writers. As the marginalized experience of an immigrant had a signifi cant impact on shaping the author’s diasporic identity, Ondaatje, originally from Ceylon and a Canadian citizen, depicts in his novel the immigrant experience and the distinctiveness of the corresponding diasporic space within a linguistic and cultural community. The article underscores that the space, which both refl ects and distorts the real world, can be characterized as a heterotopian one. In multicultural societies, diaspora serves as one such space – an entity that unites individuals bound by their shared ethnic heritage and brings together inhabitants who often fi nd themselves isolated and marginalized. In the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the immigrant district is depicted as a space with utopian features. A cornerstone of the analysis lies in the observation of how immigrants navigate and interact with foreign landscapes. The article demonstrates how these individuals utilize the canvas of a foreign country to reimagine and reconstruct familiar environments, a process that both mirrors and refracts their original contexts. Signifi cantly, the diasporic space inhabited by the characters is similar to Foucault’s concept of a heterotopic mirror, a realm without a concrete locus yet integral to shaping the characters’ experiences and perspectives. The methodology of the article relies primarily on the notion of heterotopia by French philosopher Michel Foucault, Homi Bhabha’s explorations and his concept of an intermediate space or the “third” space, and Edward Said’s postcolonial theory as well as other cultural and literary studies pertaining to the diaspora. It is shown that the heterotopian space in M. Ondaatje’s novel is a place for the formation of the diasporic identity of his characters. Ultimately, according to Foucault’s principles of heterotopia, in the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the diaspora and the immigrant community’s enclave are portrayed as a rich and transformative heterotopic space. Key words: Michael Ondaatje, “In the Skin of a Lion,” Michel Foucault, heterotopia, space, diasporic identity.