Bringing together different strands of research on Middle Eastern diasporas, the Routledge Handbook on Middle Eastern Diasporas sheds light on diverse approaches to investigating diaspora groups in different national contexts.
Asking how diasporans forge connections and means of belonging, the analyses provided turn the reader’s gaze to the multiple forms of belonging to both peoples and places. Rather than seeing diasporans as marginalised groups of people longing to return to a homeland, analyses in this volume demonstrate that Middle East diasporans, like other diasporas and citizens alike, are people who respond to major social change and transformations. Those we count as Middle Eastern diasporans, both in the region and beyond, contribute to transnational social spaces, and new forms of cultural expressions. Chapters included cover how diasporas have been formed, the ways that diasporans make and remake homes, the expressive terrains where diasporas are contested, how class, livelihoods and mobility inflect diasporic practices, the emergence of diasporic sensibilities and, finally, scholarship that draws our attention to the plurilocality of Middle Eastern diasporas.
Offering a rich compilation of case studies, this book will appeal to students of Middle Eastern Studies, International Relations, and Sociology, as well as being of interest to policymakers, government departments, and NGOs.
Author(s): Dalia Abdelhady, Ramy Aly
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 458
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Endorsement
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Figures
Contributors
Acknowledgements
1 Coming to and Coming From the Middle East: The Unfolding of Diaspora
Middle East Diaspora Studies
Part I Forming Diasporas
Part II Making and Remaking Homes
Part III Expressive Terrains of Contestation
Part IV Class, Livelihood and Mobility
Part V Diasporic Sensibilities
Part VI Plurilocal Diasporas, Rethinking Mahjar
References
Part I Forming Diasporas
2 To Be Denied a Homeland: British Mandate Policy and the Making of the Palestinian Diaspora in Chile
Situating Palestinians in Pre- and Post-Ottoman Migration History
But Why Chile?
Becoming Palestinos-Chilenos
Chile’s Arabic Periodicals
Chile’s Palestinian Diaspora Story
Notes
References
3 The AKP Government in Turkey and Diaspora-Making: Lobbying, Public Diplomacy and the Erasure of Difference
Introduction
Situating the Turkish Community in the Diaspora-Making Project
The Thorn of the Armenian Genocide
The Apparatus of Diaspora-Making
Conclusion
Notes
References
4 Critical Events and the Formation of a Coptic Diaspora in North America Between Al-Khanka and Al-Zawiya Al-Hamra
Defining a Coptic Diaspora: Egyptian History in a Global Perspective
International Migration in Post-Revolution Egypt
The Cosmopolitan Aspirations of Early Immigrant Associations
From a Promising Frontier to a Seditious Diaspora
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
5 Opportunities Here and There: Digital Diasporas and the Iranian American Election Moment
Global Politics, Diasporic Identity Formation and Digital Diasporas
Sketching the Iranian American Diaspora
Analysing Second-Generation Iranian Americans’ Mobilisation
The Duality of Political Opportunities and Diasporic Identities
(Re)constructing and Performing Diasporic Identity Through Protest
Conclusion
References
6 The Limits of Diaspora: Double Vulnerabilities Among Eritreans in Saudi Arabia
Introduction
Dynamics of Mass Exodus Over History
The Precarious Life of Eritrean Workers in the Gulf States
Exploiting the Diaspora in the GCC
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part II Making and Remaking Homes
7 The Lifecycle of Amazigh Diaspora Activism in Europe: From Institutional Pioneers to the New Ethnicities of the Postmodern Age
The Amazigh Diaspora in Europe
Amazigh Activism in Spain: Regional Strongholds and the Waxing and Waning of Diasporic Organisation
The Amazigh Diaspora Activism in the Netherlands: Caught Between Host and Home Countries Policies
Conclusion
Notes
References
8 The Diasporic Amazigh Movement in France: Articulating Indigeneity
Tamazgha in France
Indigenous Articulations
Articulating Indigeneity On the International Stage
The Colonial Present
Performing the ‘Authentic’ Authochtone
Village Territoriality
Conclusion
Notes
References
9 Valorising Some and Marginalising Others: The Diasporic Field in the Making of Lebanon
Emigration and Politics Prior to the Outbreak of the First World War
The Production of Symbolic Capital for an Emerging Lebanon
Remitting Politically for Greater Lebanon
Conclusion
Notes
References
10 Transnational Networks in Tunisia’s Democratisation: Diaspora Activism in France and Italy
Introduction
The Secular and Islamist Diaspora: Same Background, Different Trajectories
A Common Background in Silent Resistance
The Return of the Secular and Islamist Elites
Different Trajectories of the Secular and Islamist Associations
Dynamics of Belonging During the Transition to Democracy
Diasporic Patriotism Following the Revolution
The Decline of Patriotism and De-Mobilisation After 2014
Dynamics of Belonging to the Tunisian Cause: Nationality and Multiple Loyalties
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 Secularism, Sectarianism and the Transnational Connectivity of the Lebanese Diaspora in Senegal
History of Lebanese Migration to West Africa
French Colonial Policy Towards Lebanese in Afrique Occidentale Française (AOF)
Senegalese Independence
Lebanese Shi’i Institutions, the 2006 Lebanon War, and Increasing Sectarian Tensions
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part III Expressive Terrains of Contestation
12 The Semantics and Substance of Contesting Turkishness in the Diaspora
Collective Identity (re-)building in the Diaspora
Rethinking the Concept of ‘Euro-Turks’
Türkiyeli as an Alternative?
Notes
References
13 De-Orientalising Queer Iranian Diasporic Identities
Queer, Iran, Diaspora
Reimagining Iranianness in the Diaspora
Sex, Sexuality and Frankness in the Diaspora
The Transformative Genre of Queer Diasporic Romantic Dramedy
Finding ‘Queertopia’, Deploying a Queer Optic
References
14 Queering Diaspora Through Visual Art: Contesting the Double Binds of Homonationalism
Queering Diaspora
Visualising Homocolonialism in the Art of Jamil Hellu
Queer Migration in the Art of Laurence Rasti
Homocolonialism, Homonationalism and Human Rights
Dangers of Heterosexualisation in the Art of Nilbar Güres
Diasporic Bodies and Queer World-Making
Notes
References
15 Post-Tarab Identities in Diaspora: A Sonic Imaginary of Arab Canada
A Queer Counter-Public
From Tarab to Post-Tarab
Home, Identity and Belonging
Post-tarab Tensions
Notes
References
16 Resisting Marginalisation, Renegotiating Gender: Intersectional Narratives of Diaspora Experiences
Reconfiguring Gendered Selves
Resisting Multiple Forms of Marginalisation
Challenging Hegemonic Narratives
Conclusion
References
17 Creativity as a Contested Site of Identity-Making: Careers, Gender and Diaspora for Sydney’s Lebanese Australians
The Lebanese Australian Diaspora: a Brief Historical Overview
Reclaim the Space: Layal
Opting Out: Ziad
Configurations of Place and Gender in the Lebanese Australian Diaspora
References
Part IV Class, Livelihood and Mobility
18 Exploring the Creative Israeli Diaspora: Reading Class and Profession in the Diaspora
Introduction
Creative Migration: a Theoretical Prelude
Skilled Migration From Israel: an Overview
Israeli Creatives: a Profile
Conclusion
Notes
References
19 Making Middle-Class Lives: Diaspora and Belonging Among Pakistanis in Dubai
Introduction
Class and the South Asian Diaspora in the GCC Countries
Making a Home in Dubai and Beyond
Conclusion
Notes
References
20 Diasporic Before the Move: China’s Hui Muslims’ Trade and Ties With Iran and Muslimness
Introduction
The New Chinese Migration to Iran and the Role of Hui Muslim Migrants
Connecting to the Diasporic Community: Islamic Education in China
Migration to Iran: Negotiating Marginality
Returning Home: Becoming Diasporic Entrepreneurs
Conclusion
References
21 A Diasporic Balancing Act: Syrian Entrepreneurs in Turkey, Egypt and Jordan
Business Cultures and the Culture of Business
Adaptation to Local Contexts
Staying in Business: Communal Capital and Risk
Staying in Line: the Syrian State and Threat as a Disciplinary Mechanism
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
22 Diaspora Syrians and Humanitarian Aid in the Syrian Civil War
Introduction
The Syrian Conflict and Humanitarian Need
The Syrian Diaspora and Humanitarian Aid
The Role of Diasporas in Humanitarian Assistance
Motivations for Syrian Diaspora Aid to Migrants in the Syrian Conflict
Advantages of Syrian Diaspora Aid to Syrian Migrants
Cultural Competence and Local Knowledge
Syrian Diaspora Networks and Social Accountability
Syrian Diaspora Philanthropy and Peacebuilding in Syria
The Promises and Pitfalls of Syrian Diaspora Philanthropy
Notes
Acknowledgements
References
Part V Diasporic Sensibilities
23 Return Migration and Repatriation: Myths and Realities in the Interwar Syrian Mahjar
Introduction
Return as a Scholarly Problem
Return as Mythology: Literary and Ideological Tropes
The Politics of Migrant Repatriation to Syria, Lebanon and Palestine
Conclusion
References
24 The Emergence of Diasporic Sensibilities Among Iraqis in London
From Exile to Transnationalism
A Diasporic Landscape
Conclusion
Notes
Acknowledgements
References
25 Healed Pasts, Multiple Belongings and Multifocal Engagements: A Danish-Palestinian Diaspora Tour
Danish-Palestinians: From Dispossession to Marginalisation
The Trip to Palestine and Village Visits
Reconciling With the Past
The Comfort of Things From Palestine
Becoming Palestinian and Danish
Multifocal Engagements After the Diaspora Tour
Conclusion: Diasporic Grief and Nostalgia as Transformative Practice
Notes
References
26 Idioms of Care: Ageing and Connectivity Among Older Turkish Migrants in Sweden
Introduction
Gurbet and Loss of Caring Relations in the Diaspora
Turkish Family as ‘Emotional’
Quest for a Diasporic Community: Mehmet’s Story
Ageing in Diaspora
References
27 The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey After the 2013 Coup: Organisational Renewal and Renegotiation in the Diaspora
Introduction
Background: the Muslim Brotherhood
Diaspora as a Framework
The Muslim Brotherhood in Istanbul
Renegotiating Belonging in the Diaspora
Conclusion
Note
References
Part VI Plurilocal Diasporas, Rethinking Mahjar
28 The Hadrami Diaspora: A Plurilocal Mahjar
Diasporic Origins
Africa: From Cairo to the Cape
Hadramis in India, Hadramis of India
Southeast Asia: Irshadis and Sayyids
Saudi and the Gulf: Humble Origins
Relationships With the Homeland
Being Diasporic
Notes
Acknowledgements
References
29 Hadrami Connections With the Malay World: Creole Histories, Transcultural Islam and Racialisation
Conceptualising the Diasporic Relationship With the Malay World
The Making and Unmaking of Transregional Connections
The Rediscovery of Hadrami Identity
Habib Syech and Transcultural Islam
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
30 Towards a New Mode of Reading Muslim Diaspora Writing: Muslimness and the Homing Desire in Abu-Jaber’s Crescent …
Note
References
31 The Armenian Middle East: Boundaries, Pathways and Horizons
Armenians and Diaspora (Studies)
Armenians and the Middle East
Foundations and Framing
Tradition and Trends
Narrating the Community, Negotiating the Nation
Homes and Homelands
Broadening Horizons and Shifting Boundaries: Armenians And/of the Middle East
Notes
References
32 Negotiating Placemaking: Public-Private Spaces and Hinduism in Oman
Introduction
The Hindu Diaspora
The Historical Presence of Hindus in Oman
Hinduism in Contemporary Oman
Within the Temple Halls
Diasporic Ritual Practices and Homemaking
Transnational Religious Engagement
Conclusion
Notes
References
Index
