DIASPORA BELONGING BETWEEN EXCLUSIONARY ISOLATIONIST DISCOURSES AND COSMOPOLITAN IDEALS

Abstract

Reviewed literature on “long-distance nationalism” with its roots in methodological nationalism and more recent constructivist theoretical frameworks that allow for the fluidity of identity, intersectionality of social power dynamics and regard for the immigrant connectivity and simultaneity of virtual presences, provide us with a spectrum of analytical lenses. The mechanism that explains either isolationist, exclusivist tendencies in some migrants or their agency as envisaged promoters of cosmopolitan lifestyles, rests in the stories migrants tell about themselves and how they choose to structure emotional affinity into identity constructs of self and others. While accommodating the theoretical framework of seeing diasporas as transnational digital networks or as amorphous “imagined communities” potentially molded by political elites, this article chooses to consider diaspora affiliation as a category of social practice, fulfilling psychosocial needs of self-actualization. This theoretical framework provides the basis for semi-structured autobiographic interviews and analysis of narratives, as artefacts structuring the basis of belonging and othering within first- and second-generation of Romanian American migrants. This analysis may help examine how diaspora engagement with state actors is decoupled from the native territory’s evolution and governance. It also intends to be the basis for recommendations for further research to better understand transatlantic diasporas and to inform potential policy making with regards to engaging diaspora community entities in promoting cultural identity resilience, skills that protect and promote the positive anchoring of members.