Diaspora: The word "diaspora"
is derived from the Greek verb speiro (to sow) and the preposition
dia (over). When applied to humans, the ancient Greeks thought
of diaspora as migration and colonization. By contrast, for Jews,
Africans, Palestinians and Armenians the expression acquired a more
sinister and brutal meaning. Diaspora signified a collective trauma,
a banishment, where one dreamed of home but lived in exile.
All diasporic communities settled
outside their natal (or imagined natal) territories, acknowledge
that "the old country"--a notion often buried deep in language,
religion, custom or folklore--always has some claim on their loyalty
and emotion. (Robert Cohen ix).
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