Three meanings of ‘diaspora’, exemplified among South Asian religions
نویسندگان
چکیده
'DIASPORA' is the term often used today to describe practically any population which is considered 'deterritorialised' or 'transnational'-that is, which has originated in a land other than which it currently resides, and whose social, economic and political networks cross the borders of nation-states or, indeed, span the globe. To be sure, such populations are growing in prevalence, number, and self-awareness. Several are emerging as (or have historically long been) significant players in the construction of national narratives, regional alliances or global political economies. In recent years, intellectuals and activists from within these populations have increasingly begun to utilise the term 'diaspora' to describe themselves: we have witnessed the emergence, James Clifford notes, of 'Diasporic language [which] appears to be replacing, or at least supplementing, minority discourse' (311). However, the current over-use and under-theorisation of the notion of 'diaspora' among academics, transnational intellectuals and 'community leaders' alike,-which sees the term become a loose reference conflating categories such as immigrants, guest-workers, ethnic and 'racial' minorities, refugees, expatriates and travellers-threatens the term's descriptive usefulness (cf. Safran, Tatla, Cohen 'Rethinking'). The following essay outlines three general meanings of 'diaspora' which have emerged in recent literature. It is proposed that these meanings have particular
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