20th Nov2012

Weekly Post 14

by alexcarson

1: Based on the definition put forth by the Georgiu reading, diaspora is a very broad term. While it’s generally associated with disasters, could this definition of diaspora apply to even individual movement for economic purposes? That may already be the case (I’m not versed in diasporic studies), but the concept of smaller diasporas of groups and individuals could be worth studying.

2: The Basch reading actually seems to get in to my first question a bit more, but it raises a question for me. Remittances from people working abroad and other economic and political ties have always been the case for expatriates. Has digital communication really changed that, or simply intensified it? I ask the same question a lot, but I do question how much digital communication has changed things rather than just augmenting them.

3: The distinction between “immigrant” and “migrant” is an interesting topic, because I’ve seen both utilized in different ways. What I wonder, though, is if either term is sufficient for the modern “migrant”. Is someone who moves to another place permanently but maintains ties home still an immigrant? That’s just one of many questions involved in defining these terms.

Definitions:

Diaspora: A movement of people or a person away from a “home” to another place for economic, political, or social reasons predominantly.

Migrant: An individual who leaves a “home”, with the intention of either remaining mobile or returning to that home.

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