Chapter 1 The Diaspora in the Diaspora: the Role of Heritage Networks in Diaspora Identity Formation
In: World of Diasporas: Different Perceptions on the Concept of DiasporaSearch for other papers by Kimberly Berg in
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The use of the term diaspora to describe cultural, linguistic, or ethnic communities living outside their nations of origin, and the subsequent study of touristic encounters between diaspora and homeland communities, has recently received attention within both the anthropological as well as heritage and tourism studies literature. Individuals living in diaspora return to their homeland to retrace ancestries and identity. Members of the homeland also travel to the diaspora to gain perspective in identity. These trends deserve further study as they illuminate strategic ways in which diaspora identities are engaged for political, social, educational, linguistic, and economic goals. This paper investigates diaspora theory by exploring the layered nature of diaspora identity and heritage constructions, and the implications of these processes for diaspora community members, notably when the ‘homeland’ is actively engaged in diaspora affairs. Rooted in qualitative social network analysis of the transnational Welsh heritage network, this paper uncovers the ways that homeland ideologies, diffused through heritage networks, influence diaspora community participation, whilst restricting benefits of network participation for select members. In the particular case of the Welsh Patagonian community in the Chubut Province of Argentina, participation in Welsh heritage in Patagonia, especially given the increase in Welsh national influence over the construction and maintenance of Welsh Patagonian heritage in recent years, has resulted in a diaspora-in-a-diaspora. Accordingly, this paper seeks to tease apart the ways in which contemporary ties with the homeland influence diaspora identity construction and participation in a heritage economy.