Diaspora

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Diaspora

Diaspora (dīăsˈpərə) [Gr.,=dispersion], term used today to denote the Jewish communities living outside the Holy Land. It was originally used to designate the dispersal of the Jews at the time of the destruction of the first Temple (586 B.C.) and the forced exile [Heb.,=Galut] to Babylonia (see Babylonian captivity). The diaspora became a permanent feature of Jewish life; by A.D. 70 Jewish communities existed in Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, Cyrene, Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. Jews followed the Romans into Europe and from Persia and Babylonia spread as far east as China. In modern times, Jews have migrated to the Americas, South Africa, and Australia. The Jewish population of Central and Eastern Europe, until World War II the largest in the world, was decimated in the Holocaust. Despite the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the vast majority of the Jewish people remains in the diaspora, notably in North America, Russia, and Ukraine. The term diaspora has also been applied to other peoples with large numbers living outside their traditional homelands. See Jews; Judaism.

diaspora

(from the Greek dia, through, and speiro, scatter) the situation of any group of people dispersed, whether forcibly or voluntarily, throughout the world. Referring particularly to the Jewish experience, the term may be applied to any comparable migrant groups. In a world ever more subject to GLOBALIZATION, diasporic communities are increasingly a feature of the world and the social and political implications of these are much studied. See also POST-COLONIAL THEORY.

Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2000

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Diaspora

the residence of a significant portion of a people (ethnic group) outside their native land. Diasporas have occurred as a result of forced deportation, the threat of genocide, and economic and geographic factors. Originally the term “diaspora” denoted the existence of Jews outside Palestine, especially after their exile by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II at the beginning of the sixth century B.C. and by the Romans in the first and second centuries A.D. Subsequently, the term was applied to other ethnic and religious groups, such as the Armenians, Irish, Chinese, and early Christians.

Diaspora

a. the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian and Roman conquests of Palestine

b. the Jewish communities outside Israel

c. the Jews living outside Israel

d. the extent of Jewish settlement outside Israel

2. (in the New Testament) the body of Christians living outside Palestine

3. a dispersion or spreading, as of people originally belonging to one nation or having a common culture

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

References in periodicals archive ?

The lecturers were nominated by the Business Center of the BiH Diaspora, and according to their plan of visits and trips to their homeland, a training timeframe is planned - to which students, entrepreneurs and members of Diasporainvest.ba network can apply.

Bosnians from the diaspora bring knowledge to their homeland

But I suspect the kind of investment certainty the diaspora want is impossible to provide in Pakistan's current context.

Diaspora's mindset

At home, great minds like Dr Ndii, a diaspora product should be accommodated.

Kenyan Diaspora given raw deal by the government

Since there has been no other comprehensive conference bringing leaders in tourism of the African Diaspora who have helped to make black cultural heritage tourism what it is today, the African Tourism Diaspora Conference is a worthwhile event that will be very significant to the culture, tourism industry and beyond.

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Photiou said it will take place in Australia as the three countries' diasporas have a strong presence there and it has been a request of the organisations of their diasporas.

Third phase of Nostos-The Return to take place in Australia

He added that a strategy is being devised to involve the Diaspora by limiting the challenges facing them (bureaucracy, cumbersome administrative procedures, etc.) and drawing on successful experiences, such as the Irish experience.

Incubator for Tunisian Diaspora to be launched next week

In addition, they appear to have undertaken measures to facilitate investment by their diaspora in real estate and industrial enterprises through the provision of tax holidays and without any requirement for a national tax number.

The patriotic discount - launching of Diaspora bonds

He said that today, the Pakistani-Kashmiri diaspora are ambassadors who have raised their voices for the Kashmir cause.

AJK President lauds Kashmiri Diaspora for raising Kashmir issue

Implications of these questions are correspondingly as imperative to Kashmiris in diaspora, from London to Washington, from Brussels to New York, as they are on both sides of Line of Control (LOC).

The Role of Kashmiri Dispora in Conflict Transformation

The Diaspora program was successfully activated in September 2015 with funding from World Bank (WB), while a draft National Diaspora Engagement Policy was produced in July 2016 to enhance the smooth implementation of the program.

Liberia diaspora engagement program reactivated

The African Union Diaspora Division is under the Directorate office of the Department.