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Diaspora

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Diaspora is when ethic communities move from their country of origin and commune in one place.  This is most popular in big cities like New York and Los Angeles in the United States. The groups leave their country and form what we know as “Chinatown,” the Mormons in Salt Lake City, or the Jewish all living within a close proximity of one another.  Elizer Ben-Rafael wrote an article in 2013 which describes the phenomenon of a diaspora and why they come about:

“..diasporas are studied from many different perspectives. One widely acknowledged aspect is their capacity to illustrate dual homeness, and their challenging national cultures’ aspiration to sociocultural unity. Insertion into new societies tends today to erode the singularity of diasporic communities, but the symbols they retain or create may still warrant cultural reproduction as transnational entities. The conceptual distinction between collective identity, identification, and identifying is helpful when considering how diasporas have become a factor in the multiculturalization of present-day societies…”


In the article, he says how these groups tend to cohabitate close to one another because it gives them the feeling of home.  These groups feel that the community created gives them a sense of identity.  And although many of their traditions may be lost, they keep the “basics” which creates the spread of their culture, ideas, and business in our society.  Example being eyebrow threading or Chinese food.
 

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  1. Global Flow of Visual Culture Chantal Whiteduck

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