
Comparative Diasporas
Tobias Brinkmann, Pennsylvania State University
Until recently, the term “diaspora” was synonymous with the development and nature of the Jewish Diaspora. On the basis of selected case studies, the six lectures will explore if and in which ways the Jewish experience can be judged as distinctive, compared with other groups, notably Chinese, Greeks, Africans, and the Irish. The Chinese case is of particular importance because there are close similarities between the historic experiences of Jews in Central and Eastern Europe and Chinese migrants in Southeast Asia and beyond. In a wide geographical, chronological and disciplinary comparative framework, we will explore the diverse nature of diasporas, their position vis‐à‐vis their place of origin and their new surrounding culture and society. More specifically, we will analyze how diaspora communities within and outside Europe from antiquity to the present reconstituted their identities in the linguistic and cultural forms of expression of their origins and their new environments. Emphasis will be placed on exploration of the intersection of politics and culture in respect to race, nationality, ethnicity, gender and class. This process will be traced within particular case studies along the lines of resistance, subversion, opposition, and assimilation. The lectures aim to provide a more precise use of key terms associated with the history of diasporas, such as minority, economic niche, otherness, displacement, culture and globalization, and empire.
Week 1 (May 14‐17) 16:10‐18:00, C308, Shaoyifu Building , Xianlin Campus
Monday (May 14): Diaspora as a Concept: Changing Definitions In this session, we will deal with current concepts and theories in the study of Diasporas that will function as a framework for the case studies that follow. Providing a simple definition of the Diaspora concept is possible but it must be emphasized that the concept remains contested. An influential textbook by a sociologist differentiates several types of Diaspora by referring to an overarching experience, such as labor Diaspora, trade Diaspora or “victim Diasporas.” On a first glance this model seems sensible but on closer examination it quickly raises questions and is not useful, once the concept is historicized, simply because because most larger Diaspora groups combine several experiences. A better way to approach the concept is by looking at multiethnic empires that tended to provide beneficial conditions for transterritorial ethno‐ religious Diaspora groups. But what does ethnicity actually mean? And can non‐ethnic groups also described as Diasporas? For instance, Catholics in different parts of the world, Beatles fans, fans of Manchester United soccer club, not to mention popular social media platforms that resemble Diasporas.
Reading (provided by me and to be discussed at the following session):
‐ Donna Gabaccia, Diasporas, Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, ed. William H. McNeil et alii (2005), 521ff.
‐ Optional: John A. Armstrong, Mobilized and Proletarian Diasporas, The American Political Science Review 70, No. 2 (Jun., 1976), 393‐408. 2
Wednesday (May 16): The Greek Diaspora
Is it a coincidence that the term Diaspora is Greek? Indeed, the Greek Diaspora can be traced back into antiquity when citizens of the Greek city‐states established colonies in Asia Minor and eventually across the Mediterranean and beyond. Today a Greek Diaspora spans the world. The Australian city of Melbourne, for instance, is regarded as the third‐largest Greek city (after Athens and Salonika). Yet, little seems to link the ancient and the modern Greek diasporas, the former developed into a broad and inclusive hybrid culture, while the latter is connected with the rise of the modern Greek nation‐state in the early 19th century. The return of the Pontic Greeks after 3000 years during the 1990s and their ambivalent reception in modern Greece, but also the violent controversy over the Macedonian question during the 20th century and in recent years illustrate different and competing concepts of identifying or being identified as Greek (including projections on ancient Greece) and more generally, the complexities of the diaspora and ethnicity concepts.
Reading:
‐ George Kaloudis, “The Influence of the Greek Diaspora on Greece and the United States,” International Journal on World Peace, Vol. 25, No. 3 (2008), 29‐59.
Thursday (May 17, 18:30‐20:30 原定 18 日周五,临时调整): The Jewish Diaspora
During the 19th and 20th century the Jewish Diaspora rather than the Greek Diaspora was widely seen as the quintessential Diaspora. Until the late 20th century almost any definition of Diaspora in general encyclopedias referred to the Jewish Diaspora. Other groups were usually not even mentioned. This is striking because one distinguishing feature of the Jewish Diaspora does stand out, the absence of a homeland for a period spanning almost 2,000 years. Unlike the Greek Diaspora the case for continuous ties between Jews over a period spanning over 3,000 years is more compelling. Scholars tend to study different Jewish “centers” at different time periods, each representing a sub‐Diaspora. Even though Jews represent a relatively small group in numeric terms, the respective centers developed quite independently, spawning their own sub‐Diasporas. For instance, after the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 the so‐called Sephardi (Spanish) Jews settled in Portugal for several decades, in North Africa, in the Ottoman Empire, in Amsterdam and a few other port cities in Western Europe such as Bordeaux, and in the Americas. A senior scholar refers to the small groups of Sephardim who settled in the Americas and island groups in the Atlantic as “Diasporas within a Diaspora.” The Jewish case does indeed raise the question how useful the Diaspora model is because ties between different centers did simply not exist and the differences were striking.
Reading:
‐ Gabriel Sheffer, Jewish Diaspora, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition, ed. William A Darity Jr. (2008), 189ff.
3 Week 2 (May 21‐25) 16:10‐18:00, C308, Shaoyifu Building , Xianlin Campus
Monday (May 21): The Chinese Diaspora
The overseas Chinese represent one of the largest, oldest and most widely spread diasporas. In the countries of Southeast Asia, the Chinese often form(ed) a significant proportion of the population, but today Chinese communities can be found in almost any economically dynamic region across the globe, especially in parts of East Asia, in Australia, North and South America, in Europe, and not least in Africa. The origins of the Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia date back at least to the 1200s, when groups of Han Chinese moved across the South China Sea establishing close trade relations with the homeland. Following the European conquest of Southeast Asia, beginning in the 16th Century, more Chinese moved to these regions, enjoying a certain degree of protection by the European powers. In the 19th century large numbers of Chinese laborers migrated across the globe establishing famous “Chinatowns” in places such as San Francisco, New York, and London but also providing cheap labor in Southeast Asia. The development of modern “scientific” racism in Europe and America is closely connected to perceptions of “the” Chinese as threatening “other.” The Chinese were the first national group to be formally excluded from immigrating to the United States of America in 1882. The strong Chinese migration as a global phenomenon continues into the present. Because of its age, its enormous size, and its diversity a discussion of the Chinese Diaspora illustrates the many complexities associated with the diaspora phenomenon. What does “Chinese,” or for that matter, “China” (a Western term!) actually mean? Can we actually speak of a “Chinese” Diaspora, or rather of several sub‐diasporas? The term “Chinese” betrays indeed a fascinating diversity of people originating from a huge area who often speak mutually unintelligible languages. Studying this diaspora and its impact provides a new perspective on issues such as European, American and Japanese Imperialism in Asia, the development of modern racism in the West, the global impact of industrialization in Europe and North America, or cultural perceptions of “the other” in Western and other cultures.
Reading:
‐ Donald N. Nonini, Chinese Diaspora, Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, 2nd Edition, ed. Patrick Mason, (2013), 377ff.
Wednesday (May 23): The African Diaspora
African Diaspora generally refers to the impact of the Atlantic slave trade between 16th and 19th centuries. However, Africans also migrated voluntarily to neighboring continents. In fact, the first humans probably originated on the African continent. African slaves were also taken on the shores of the Indian Ocean. This session concentrates on the impact of the mass enslavement but it also will complicate the definition of “African” by pointing to the experience of migrants from South Asia who settled in Africa during the late 19th century. In Uganda the descendants of these migrants were forced to leave during the 1970s. Most settled in Britain and some describe themselves as African rather than South Asian. Some white settlers who left after decolonization also described themselves as African. To differentiate better between different groups, the African Diaspora is often described as Black Diaspora, a term that of course 4 transcends Africa. Key questions are how slave societies in the Americas can be described, especially since the agency of slaves was limited. The 1791 Haitian Revolution marked the beginning of a struggle of Black slaves and their descendants for emancipation and liberation. An important question is whether the term Diaspora is applicable to groups who lived in different societies and states.
Reading:
‐ Martin Klein, African Diaspora, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition, ed. William A Darity Jr. (2008), 38ff.
Friday (May 25): The Irish Diaspora
The Irish Diaspora differs from the Jewish and Chinese Diaspora because it is relatively young. This session will look at patterns of Irish migration during the 19th and 20th centuries. A very high number of people left Ireland only after the 1840s. It has long been debated whether the Irish famine of the late 1840s accelerated existing trends or was a watershed, creating a new type of emigration. We will consider the class, gender, and religious complexion of Irish immigrants, asking how this changed over time and what factors determined where individuals ended up. Did the Irish in Britain develop a different identity than those in the United States or Australia? Is it appropriate to speak of a coherent Diasporic politics, particularly in the United States? And how did Irish diasporas influence politics in Ireland during the 19th and 20th centuries?
Reading:
‐ Timothy J. Meagher, The Irish in North America, Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture, ed. Jr. James S. Donnelly et alii (2004), 142ff.