Postcolonial Diasporas

Abstract

This paper explores "diaspora' as a highly favoured term among contemporary scholars associated with postcolonial studies. Acknowledging the foundational articulation of "diaspora/Diaspora' in Jewish thought, as well as the valuable charting of the discursive shifts and expansions of the term by experts such as Khachig Tölölyan and Robin Cohen, this paper argues that the idea of "postcolonial diasporas' may help us distinguish and better appreciate the specific political ambitions and methodological assumptions that are in play when "diaspora' is invoked by critics such as Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy.