Getaway! An Incomplete Travel Guide Through the Diaspora

Getaway! An Incomplete Travel Guide Through the Diaspora

by Sid Gopinath & Sophia Tareen

Introduction

Looking for an adventure that blends curiosity with conviction, belief with bewilderment, and discovery with doubt? Travelers will find all of the above in this syllabus which serves as an incomplete travel guide to engage with and question the concept of diaspora.

We know what you’re thinking — “diaspora” has become a bit of an inflated term, relegated to identity-based parlance that has permeated society. Any attempt to define the diaspora experience would be futile; the experience is as scattered as the word’s meaning. A diaspora could include those who have chosen to leave their homeland for societal advancement, those who have been ripped away from their homes without consent, and those who seek refuge from crumbling realities.

This travel guide seeks to recognize the complexities and diversity of the diasporic experience, and thus, it is a journey without a destination. We have organized it into a non-linear route with five stops. At each stop, intrepid travelers can engage with resources, process guiding questions, and indulge in a sensory experience, all related to that stop’s theme.

We are your guides and fellow travelers on this journey: a Minnesota-bred, South Indian and Parsi by way of Bombay and a Philadelphia-gal with Pashtun, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Uzbek, (and probably more) roots. We are always learning and unlearning how we engage with our specific heritage, so this guide uses our experience as a case study. The stops are specific enough for fellow South Asians to engage with deeply and universal enough for anyone to ponder their own relationship to belonging and collective liberation. 

By no means do we have all the answers. In fact, as travelers ourselves, we only have more questions on this sinuous, convoluted journey. We look forward to reshaping our understanding of what the diaspora means together with you. So, please, join us on this getaway!

Guiding Questions

• What does it look like to belong to an identity?
• Who, if anyone, “adjudicates authenticity”?
• What about me feels “authentic?” Why?
• Who can or should profit from “authenticity?” Do I?

Sensory Experience

• Cook a dish of “assimilation” food. Serve it to someone you love with an explanation of it.

Guiding Questions

• Close your eyes and imagine a member of the _______ diaspora. Pull characteristics from the world around you or from narratives you’ve encountered. Who is this person? What are they doing? Where are they? What do they like?
• What informs this image?
• Do you see yourself in these depictions? Why or why not?

Sensory Experience

• Give yourself a tour of “home.” Make a video or write about the images, the sounds, and the smells. 

Guiding Questions

• When does your notion of the _______ diaspora begin? Who is there?
• Whose histories have been excluded from mainstream stories about the ____ diaspora? Why?
• What was a “myth” you were told when you were younger? 

Sensory Experiences

• Pull out some archived images — photos of yourself, your family, your friends. Who is there? What stories do you want to preserve?
• If you’re in the Bay Area, check out the Berkeley Radical South Asian walking tour
• If you’re in the Philadelphia area, check out the Revolutionary Remix walking tour

Guiding Questions

• What is diaspora art? 
• What do I like or dislike about these pieces? Why?
• What do I feel when I consume this kind of art?

Sensory Experience

• Using lyrics, quotes, and excerpts from the links in this section, create a Found Poem.

Guiding Questions

• What practices might I introduce or change in my daily life to shift structures of power?
• What do I expect to feel through my efforts of building solidarity with others?

Sensory Experience

• Find a local action to support racial justice.