Irish diaspora

Irish diaspora. Diaspora is a concept that during the 1990s became fashionable in world history and in the specific Irish context as well. Indications of each of these phenomena are: that in 1995 the International Congress of Historical Sciences denominated ‘Peoples in Diaspora’ as one of the three central themes of historical research for the 1990s; and, in her inaugural speech as president of Ireland in December 1990, Mary Robinson articulated a concern with the Irish diaspora, one which remained a major theme of her presidency.

‘Diaspora’ comes from the Greek word for ‘dispersal’. Its primary reference until the later 20th century was to the diaspora of the ancient Israelites and their descendants, the Jewish people. The term came to be used during the 1970s by historians of peoples whose historical origin was Africa. It also became common currency among Armenian historians. Thence it spread to almost every group that has had a history of widespread out‐migration. Political scientists tend to limit the term to groups who are minorities (frequently refugee minorities) in larger polities and who identify more with their former homelands than with their new homes. Historians, however, have not limited the concept in that way.

Whether the concept will replace the older one of ‘emigration’ in the context of Irish history is uncertain. ‘Diaspora’ has the advantage of removing the Irish homeland as the metropole through which all Irish dispersal must be apprehended. Unlike emigration, ‘diaspora’ permits a multigenerational study of the dispersal of Irish culture around the world. On the other hand, if it becomes simply another word for ‘out‐migration’, then nothing is gained.

Bibliography

Akenson, D. H. , The Irish Diaspora: A Primer (1993)

D. H. Akenson