The Diaspora Strikes Back (Cultural Spaces)

In a variety of fields, transnationalism has become the buzzword: in ethnic studies, cultural anthropology, cultural studies, and urban/community studies. In almost all instances, the terms relates to the social practices of immigrant groups who have migrated to nations/regions better positioned than their home countries in the global economy. They transplant their practices to the host countries, yet also pick up characteristics of the host country as well. Such immigrants end up with hybrid cultures and identities. What is so novel in the age of globalization, though, is the ability to communicate instantly with and travel back and forth to the home country with relative ease. What results isn't so much an ethnic enclave sequestered from both home and host countries, but a community in constant transnational dialogue, being forged anew continuously. In the Diaspora Strikes Back , the eminent ethnic and cultural studies scholar Juan Flores flips the process on its head: what happens to the home country when it is being constantly fed by emigrants returning from abroad? He looks at how "Nuyoricans" (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) have transformed the home country, introducing hip hop and modern New York culture to the Caribbean island. While he focuses on New York and Mayaguez (in Puerto Rico), the model is broadly applicable. Indians introducing contemporary British culture India; New York Dominicans bringing slices of New York culture back to the Dominican Republic; Mexicans bringing LA culture (from fast food to heavy metal) back to Guadalajara and Monterrey. This ongoing process is both massive and global, and Flores' novel account will command a significant audience across disciplines.