Reinventing and Contesting Identities in Constitutive Discourses: Between Diaspora and Its Others.

This paper explores how diasporic identities are reinvented through constitutive rhetoric to legitimate certain forms of collective power and action. Diasporic collectivities are constituted in relationship to nation-state systems as well as other groups with whom they share histories and compete to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication Quarterly Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 1 - 24
Main Author: Drzewiecka, Jolanta A.
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Winter2002
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:This paper explores how diasporic identities are reinvented through constitutive rhetoric to legitimate certain forms of collective power and action. Diasporic collectivities are constituted in relationship to nation-state systems as well as other groups with whom they share histories and compete to establish claims to the homeland. The collective “we” emerges as a shifting formation as the identity of the diaspora, its borders, and who counts as its members is constantly contested and repositioned. The paper analyzes discourses reinventing Polish American diasporic identity within the changing political situation of Poland including its democratization and incorporation within Western political structures. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.