According to New Keywords, the word Diaspora has a literal meaning: “the scattering of seeds”. It also refers to the dispersal of a population that share a common ethnic background, and they reside away from their origins. There are many types of Diaspora such as British, Asian, African, and European Diasporas.
The Asian Diaspora is one that I can talk about because my family was involved in it. The first Chinese Diaspora took place thousands of years ago, but it also occurred in the 19th century to about 1949. It was caused by starvation, political corruption, and wars. Most of the immigrants were poor, and they dispersed to Southeast Asia, America, Australia, South Africa, and many other places. My grandparents lived in mainland China, and they immigrated to Vietnam due to a war that broke out. My parents were both born in Vietnam and around the age of twenty, they dispersed to America because of the Communists and Vietnam War. Their family members also immigrated, but some were left behind because money was scarce. Gradually, everyone from all over the world began dispersing to different countries. The reason why America is so diverse is attributable to Diaspora.
Another reason why Diaspora occurs is due to natural disasters. For example, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Many people evacuated and some never returned. The evacuees dispersed to somewhere away from the horrible disaster. Who would want to return to a place that got destroyed? I know I wouldn’t. I would gather my family together and disperse to some place safer.
It seems as if Diaspora isn’t a chosen act because people don’t choose to disperse on their own free will. Bad things happen and that’s when people decide to disperse because they have to in order to get away from the troubles and problems. Diaspora isn’t necessarily a bad thing because by dispersing to new areas, people are able to reconstruct their lives. Maybe the place they originated from wasn’t pleasant, and thanks to Diaspora they’re able to make their lives better.
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14 years ago
3 comments:
I really liked this post; I didn't know much about the more recent Chinese Diaspora, and it was interesting to read about your family's experience.
I'm wondering as to whether or not Diaspora is a chosen act; I certainly see what you mean as far as natural disasters, wars, and other naturally or politically oppressive events go, but what about the Gold Rush miners or Oregon Trail travelers? Were their choices made outside of free will?
I also liked how you ended your post on a positive note about why Diaspora can be a good thing. I think that you are right in saying that our country owes a lot to Diaspora, although the situations prompting such dispersal may have been less than ideal.
Rachel is right to point out the ambivalence of diaspora: it can be a condition both wanted and unwanted, painful and beneficial according to broad contexts and external factors. So what we want to preserve here is an understanding that any given diaspora always had multiple facets. Diaspora is a term used to describe "scattering" in the sense that singular identities or groups become scattered in both geographical and psychodynamic ways. But all in all this is a nice post: your prose is clear, informative, and articulate.
I agree with you opinion in that people decide to disperse because they want to make their lives better. My parents are also Japanese immigrants, they wanted a better opportunity for education in the US. I think those people who were able to disperse to other country due to sufficient money for traveling and housing in abroad like you said some families were not able to go to other countries and left behind because of no money. You brought up some great points why people from many countries would disperse to other countries. However, there is negative aspect of Diaspora, some people would have to leave behind their cultural values where they originally came from because they have troubles building their cultural values in other countries. America is one of unique countries because it is a friendly country that brings diverse, however, some countries are not welcome to foreigners like in the US. I enjoyed reading your post because it was interesting to learn about your family’s experience.
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