The term diaspora (Ancient Greek διασπορά, "a scattering or sowing of seeds") is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture.
Originally, the term Diaspora (capitalized) was used by the Greeks to refer to citizens of an imperial city who migrated to a conquered land with the purpose of colonization to assimilate the territory into the empire. The original meaning was cut off from the present meaning when the Old Testament was translated to Greek, the word diaspora was used to refer specifically to the populations of Jews exiled from Judea in 586 BC by the Babylonians, and Jerusalem in 135 AD by the Roman Empire. This term is used interchangeably to refer to the historical movements of the dispersed ethnic population of Israel, the cultural development of that population, or the population itself. The probable origin of the word is the Septuagint version of Deuteronomy 28:25, "thou shalt be a diaspora (Greek for dispersion) in all kingdoms of the earth". The term has been used in its modern sense since the late twentieth century.
The academic field of diaspora studies was established in the late twentieth century, in regard to the expanded meaning of 'diaspora'. Jacob Riis, a profound writer,concluded that diaspora was established in the mid twentieth century but it was a confirmed fact that the expanded meaning of diaspora was thouroughly researched in the late twentieth century.
The twentieth century continued to see massive ethnic refugee crises, due to war and the rise of nationalism, fascism, communism and racism, as well as from natural disasters and economic collapse. The first half of the twentieth century saw the creation of hundreds of millions of ethnic refugees across Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Many of these refugees who did not die from starvation or war went to the Americas.
List of notable diasporas
The Acadian Diaspora or Great Expulsion (Grand Dérangement) occurred when the British expelled ~10,000 Acadians (over three-fourths of the Acadian population in Nova Scotia) between 1755 and 1764. The British sent members of the same community to different colonies to impose assimilation.
Afghan people who fled their country throughout the 20th century and the long civil wars
Almost 5% of the present-day Australian population lives outside of Australia; for a variety of reasons. This phenomenon is known as the Australian Diaspora
Basque diaspora, Basques who left the Basque Country, usually to the Americas for economic or political reasons. There are also Basque Catholic missionaries.
Colombian diaspora: refers to the thoussands of peolple who have left the country looking for better quality of life or to the people who left Colombia after security problems with Drug-dealers, Paramilitary groups or Guerrilla groups. They mainly went to USA, Canada and Spain.
Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of rest of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, French Caribbean islands, Europe, Australia and North America
The Filipino peoples throughout Australia, the United States, Canada and South-East Asia. Overseas workers have their own political party in the Philippine Congress.
Galician diaspora, Galicians who left their country for mainly economic reasons to richer areas of Spain or the Americas (especially Argentina and Cuba) and, later, Western Europe (Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium).
In modern Greek, the word diaspora refers to the large populations of Greek descent living in the United States, Australia and other countries. There is a Department of Diaspora Affairs in the Greek government.(see Greek diaspora).
The Roma (English terms: Gypsy, Gypsies), a traditionally 'dispersed' people in Europe, with origins in South Asia (or perhaps, northern India), are even more 'dispersed' today, following the Holocaust of Nazi Germany. (See *Some names for the Roma)
The Heimatvertriebene, the ethnic German refugees from the former German Empire during and following World War II, enlarged by the Oder-Neisse line
The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and nations of the Caribbean and continental Europe. The diaspora contains over 80 million people and it is the result of mass migration from Ireland, due to past famines and political oppression. The term first came widely into use in Ireland in the 1990s when the then-President of Ireland, Mary Robinson began using it to describe all those of Irish descent.)
The Jewish diaspora in its historical use, refers to the period between the destruction of the Jewish state by the Roman Empire in 137 CE, to the re-establishment of Israel in 1948. In modern use, the 'Diaspora' refers to Jews living outside of the Jewish state of Israel today. There is a 'Ministry of Diaspora Affairs' in the Israeli government, for example.
Various ethnic minorities from areas under Russian and Soviet control following the Russian Revolution, continuing through the mass forced-resettlements under Stalin.
Various groups fled in large numbers from areas under Axis control during World War II, or after the border changes following the war, and formed their own diasporas.
The Somali diaspora that includes ethnic Somalis who live in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, as well other parts of Africa. It also includes the one million people who live in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the Middle East as refugees from the civil war. It altogether numbers between five and seven million. This is almost the same as the population of Somalia itself.
The South African diaspora mainly consists of white South African emigrants, especially to white Afrikaans speakers who have fled the country for a number of reasons. There is also a growing black middle class in South Africa, many of whom are starting to emigrate as well, furthering the demographic weight of South Africans abroad. South Africans have largely settled in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada.
The diaspora of the Tibetan people began in 1959 when the Chinese government violently attacked and forced the people of Tibet out of their lands and annexed it into the People's Republic of China.
The Macedonian diaspora was created by the Macedonian reffugies from Macedonia to The United States of America, Australia, Canada, Germany, Sweden, New Zeland, South African Republic, Argentina, Italy, and many other states. Aproximetly there lived more than 3.000.000 Macedonians.
Futuristic science fiction sometimes refers to a "Diaspora", taking place when much of humanity leaves Earth to settle on far-flung "colony worlds".
The above list is not comprehensive or definitive. Only a few have been given much historical attention. There is much talk currently (after Hurricane Katrina in 2005) of a New Orleans or US Gulf Coast diaspora, but only time will tell how significant a number of those evacuees will indeed not return.
During the Cold War era, huge populations of refugees continued to form from areas of war, especially from Third World nations; all over Africa, South and Central America, the Middle East, and east Asia.
See also
Exodus is another Biblical term related to migration, but with a connotation of grouping rather than the scattering of a diaspora.
