Diaspora space and identity

“Diaspora space and identity analyses how identity is developed and where differences are created.”

Looking at diaspora space and identity has aided understanding of how and where identity and difference are made and remade. In this context diaspora means the dispersal of peoples across many physical borders. By crossing these physical borders, diasporas also cross social, conceptual, and psychological borders. If this was depicted as a helix then the point at which these borders overlap would be the diaspora space, a space that is continuously remaking and resituating. This theory seeks to change the notion of “us” and “them”, and so where immigration is concerned, the indigenous population is also part of this diaspora space. Also addressing artificial categorisations, the concern is that once categorised the identity of an individual/group becomes fixed, whereas identity is an ongoing process that can change with situations and experiences. Again, intercultural dialogue can help when trying to understand these classifications and the diaspora space.

Interculturalism: Theory and Policy (61.24KB)