The word “diaspora” has many meanings. Although it has a Greek origin, it most commonly refers to the dispersion and scattering of people from their original homeland and the resulting communities they form in foreign lands. “Diaspora” originally referred to the Jewish community that was scattered after the Babylonian captivity.
More recently, it has been used to describe the Jewish communities outside Israel that are dispersed throughout the world.
Of course, there is no longer a homogeneous Jewish community anywhere. North American Jews trace their origins to Russia, to eastern Europe, to Latin America and elsewhere. Anthropologically, there may at one time have been a single Diaspora, but now it’s hard to pinpoint a single, common worldwide Jewish community. Yet we’re all described as members of the Diaspora.
As Jews in the Diaspora, what, then, do we have in common? We share a common religion, although we choose to practise it in many different ways. We share a common heritage or history that dates back thousands of years. We even, to some extent, share a certain traceable genetic commonality that is evidenced, for example, by the prevalence of certain medical conditions in the Jewish population (such as Tay Sachs disease).
Recently, it has been speculated that Kohanim may even share genetic characteristics dating back thousands of years to the time of Aaron. Moreover, for all our differences of opinions, we share basic common values stemming from the messages and lessons of the Torah and the Talmud. We also share a dark history of oppression. Whether or not we, ourselves, lived in Europe or had relatives who lived in Europe, the experience of the dark days of the Holocaust is part of our collective makeup.
Probably the most accurate description of Jews is that we are members of many diasporas with some degree of commonality, but many differences as well.
Others have appropriated the term “diaspora,” as we know it, from the Jewish experience.
Many other religious and cultural communities now want to be recognized as part of their own diaspora. In a sense, it’s a badge of honour, a celebration of their origins, or simply a means of reinforcing community cohesiveness and pride.
For example, we recently witnessed members of the Pakistani diaspora united in their opposition to the political turmoil and oppression in their former homeland. We are called upon by the Armenian diaspora seeking world acknowledgment of an unrecognized genocide suffered a century ago. Chinese communities throughout the world are about to celebrate their annual new year festivities. Maintaining links to and celebrating traditions from a homeland is a widespread phenomenon.
In Canada, these various diasporas exist not always because people faced oppression and exile in their respective homelands, but often because they chose to seek better lives in new lands with new opportunities.
Although individuals in the various Canadian cultural communities may use the term diaspora, we would rather refer to the various communities within our borders as constituting the multicultural heritage of Canadians. Since 1982, multiculturalism has been given constitutional status through section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians. Official government policy since the early 1970s has recognized and promoted multiculturalism. The federal Department of Canadian Heritage funds programs supporting this policy. In Alberta, the provincial anti-discrimination statute is called the Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act.
All of the foregoing is a reflection of the longstanding Canadian desire to have our society evolve into what is now a truly multicultural mosaic rather than an American-style melting pot. Some people have expressed objection to this policy, favouring the American approach. However, thriving multiculturalism is the normative and legally protected description of the Canadian way of life.
But a nation with many diverse cultures, with many so-called diasporas, is not without certain problems and concerns. There are issues of adaptation, of acceptance and accommodation by the majority segment of the population, and, on the darker side, issues of hate, discrimination and intolerance. These issues essentially relate to the ability of cultural or diasporic communities to maintain their respective identities in the face of pressures and discrimination they sometimes encounter. The challenge for the various diasporas within Canada is to achieve a balance between their cultural integrities and their Canadian identity.
