Introduction: Diaspora, Identities, Memories (original) (raw)

Looking Forward to the Past: National Identity and History in Malta

Identities-global Studies in Culture and Power, 2003

Critiques of the essentialising tendencies of nationalist discourse are well established in the social sciences—particularly in anthropology. This article builds on the calls for a more processual approach to national identity. It focuses not only on the problematic essentialism of discourses of national identity, but also on their inherent teleology. Social scientists have shared with nationalists a view of national identity as a problem that needs to be solved, and in doing so have adopted a teleological view that assumes that at some point in the future resolution is both possible and desirable. Picking up on recent theorisations of identity, the article argues that identity is inherently irresolvable, and for this reason we are better off investigating not the content of particular national identities, but the processes through which identities are debated—or indeed identity itself as a category is debated. The article concerns national identity in Malta, particularly the role of historians in articulating the identity debates. It links controversies within the historical community to the distinctive polarities of Maltese party politics, which developed in colonial Malta and continue into the post-colonial era. Although initially concerned with defining the content of national identity, political and historical debate shifted in the late twentieth century to focus on how it should be defined—and indeed whether identity was a useful category for describing Malta and its people. The article argues that this shift from content to process should be acknowledged by analysts of national identity, who should revise their analyses accordingly.

Tradition, Tourism and Memory in Malta

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Diaspora and Heritage in the age of Transnationalism

Britain has the largest concentration of Kashmiris outside Kashmir. An estimated 700,000 Kashmiris are settled in Britain today. This means that every fourth Muslim, every 3 rd South Asian and two of three Pakistanis in Britain are of Kashmiri heritage. Over 99% of British Kashmiris originate from 'azad' Kashmir, the Pakistani administered part of the divided state of Jammu Kashmir mainly from the Mirpur Division. The earliest Kashmiris from Mirpur came to Britain in the closing years of the 19 th century and today fourth generation of Kashmiris is growing up in Britain. However, they remain the most invisible, marginalised and excluded of all the ethnic minority communities in Britain. Awareness about the history, culture and heritage of Kashmir in general and of Azad Kashmir in particular is lacking not only amongst the wider British communities and institutions but also the younger generation of British Kashmiris know little about their heritage. This paper offers a general introduction to the cultural heritage of British Kashmiris from azad Kashmir in the context of migration and settlement of azad Kashmiris in Britain and the growth of a transnational British Kashmiri space with some insight into how in this space the cultural heritage can be positively preserved and transmitted. It includes the brief explanation of the concepts and terminology such as indignity, Transnational and Diaspora space and Heritage followed by a quick discussion of some aspects of the cultural heritage of azad Kashmir and British Kashmiris from that region. It also identifies some challenges and opportunities for the management of the cultural heritage of Azad Kashmir with some 1 This paper was originally written for the 1 st International Conference on "Indigenous Resource Management, Challenges and Opportunities", held at the University of Management Sciences and Information Technology, Kotli, Azad Kashmir on April 14-15, 2016. recommendations regarding the practical steps and policy for the government of Azad Kashmir and the diaspora in Britain.

The nostalgic construction of community: Memory and social identity in Urban Malta

Ethnos, 1998

This paper examines local people's memories of a Maltese urban community that was demolished in the 1970s. The memories create an idealised, nostalgic picture ofcommunity harmony and solidarity prior to the demolition, but also apportion blame for its subsequent destruction. The paper argues that in such situations of physical displacement and/or social dislocation, this nostalgic process serves as a strategic resource that not only produces order and identity, but also creates legitimate moral claims against the state. The paper thereby contributes to ongoing debates about the relationship between local identity and wider political and economic processes.

Heritage and national identity in post-socialist Albania

2018

In this thesis I critically evaluate the concept of the “democratisation of memory” (Atkinson 2008) and to analyse the relationship between the “democratisation of memory” and the (re)construction of national identity through an analysis of changing practices of the (re)construction and consumption of three selected “myths” of Albanian national identity at heritage sites and museums. The three selected myths are; the myth of Illyrian-Albanian continuity, which is the origin myth of the Albanian nation; the myth of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg; and myth and memory of the Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha and of state-socialism. I will argue throughout this thesis that the particular “democratisation of memory” described by Atkinson (2008) is just one type or pattern of that phenomenon, and that different types or patterns of the “democratisation of memory” can occur in different contexts and in relation to different narratives, myths and memories. I will also argue that the rel...

Homeland and Diaspora: Connection … 75 Homeland and Diaspora: Connection Through Spaces

Definitions of 'diaspora' differ. However, one commonly accepted feature of the concept is that diaspora assumes return and, as emphasized in the paper, return is permanent, even if it is virtual or metaphorical. This, probably, is the main factor that distinguishes diasporas from communities who only carry ethnic heritage and traditions, without maintain connections to the homeland. Unlike cases of only ethnic communities, diasporans maintain links to the homeland on a permanent basis, aimed at preserving the national identity and preventing assimilation. Diasporas, being physically in the host country, at the same time, maintain loyalty to the homeland, and loyalty to the non-territorial transnation prevails. The relationship between diaspora and the homeland is changing over time as a result of various changes and transformations, in particular, political, such as achieving political independence and establishment of a sovereign nation-state. Many nation-states, who have ...