Diaspora

The word 'Diaspora' comes from ancient Greek and it means 'scattering of seeds'. Over the centuries, the meaning has altered. In the 'Old Testament', the word came to be used for Jews who were exiled from Judea in five eighty six (586) Bcc and again from Zerusalem in 136 ce. Many ethnic groups have forced or induced to leave their native land for a variety of socio-economic and political reasons. Diaspora literature refers to the literature of such displaced communities and involves an idea of a homeland, the place from where the displacement has occured. Well-known Diaspora theorists are Robin Cohen, Stuart Hall, Aizaj Ahamed and the like. Writers in this field include Sulman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Khaled Hossaini, Kiran Desai, Meena Alexander and Chitra Bannerjee Dibakaruni.