What is the Diaspora? Description, value

In the territory of each country there is a certain number of diasporas. They are classified according to the relevant characteristics and historical origin. However, what is the diaspora? What is its role in strengthening the national culture? Let's look at the article.

Terminology. general information

The word "diaspora" has Greek roots and is interpreted as "scattering." In modern conditions this term refers to a part of the people or certain stable ethnic groups living outside the territory where they were educated. However, in the "foreign state" they have social institutions whose activities are aimed at supporting and developing their identity. Throughout the world, relations with these ethnic groups are considered a significant achievement in the development of the country's foreign policy and the development of national consciousness.

Especially important is the diaspora for Israel, India and Armenia. This is due to the fact that in this political and economic direction this kind of community provides substantial support to its country.

Historical understanding

In the ancient world, what is the diaspora, the Phoenicians, Jews and Greeks knew well. The reason for this was the small areas of the states of these peoples, which forced to emigrate certain groups of the population and create colonies in the newly conquered territories. The merchants left the first spaces of the historical homeland as a result of voluntary or forced migration. They emigrated, mainly, to newly created colonies with open trade routes. Among the Hellenized Jews, the meaning of the word "diaspora" was very specific. They were Jewish communities who voluntarily lived outside the lands of Israel. These included groups that were not forcibly expelled by the Babylonians from the kingdom of Judah and the Romans from the province of Judea. A narrower meaning became the definition with the creation of the Septuagint. Under the community understood Jewish groups, forcibly expelled from the Land of Israel.

Modern interpretation of the definition

More deeply, the question of what a diaspora is, began to be considered at the beginning of the 20th century. At the same time, the definition was not connected with the Jewish people. There is still no modern precise interpretation of the concept. And around this issue there are ongoing discussions, not only in Russia, but also abroad. In many countries, a strong relationship is established with the communities living abroad. An example is Georgia. This country has established a special ministry to maintain contacts with its diaspora all over the world.

Classification

Now on the territory of Russia there are 193 ethnic groups that have their own characteristics and specific features. For the purpose of carrying out the research, a temporary classification was carried out. It provides for the division of diasporas into three groups:

• Historical, represented by Jews and Armenians;
• The modern, which united the Chinese and Koreans;
• Group at the stage of formation, which united migrants from Central Asia.

Popular ethnic communities in the world

Speaking of what a diaspora is, several figures should be cited. One of the largest communities in the world is Chinese. It includes more than 35 million people. The Indian and Russian diasporas unite 25 million citizens. The Ukrainian ethnic group includes 12 million people. Adygeyan, Gypsy, Armenian, Greek and Jewish diasporas include about 8 million Vietnamese and German groups unite 3.5 million people. The Azerbaijani diaspora is considered the smallest. It includes 2.4 million people.

Features of the Azerbaijani Diaspora

In the Leningrad region, this ethnic group belongs to one of the largest ethnic communities. The main reason for this was the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to a significant growth of the group. Now in the possession of the Azerbaijani diaspora in St. Petersburg there is a Sunday school, the Consulate General of the Republic, the editorial office of the Azeri newspaper.

The strategic goal of the great powers

Significant changes in the Azerbaijani diaspora occurred in the early 2000s. Then its communities were united in separate countries and the effectiveness of the already existing ones was considerably strengthened. Over the past three years, the number of established public structures is more than 80. The committee in the Middle East and Europe contributed to this. And although the Azerbaijani diaspora is still at the stage of formation, significant positive changes are already visible. The first congress of members-leaders of community organizations was held. In 2004 the Azerbaijan Congress of Europe was founded. In modern conditions, the Republic itself has become the center of international strategic plans. Therefore, one can fully understand the interest of many states in the Azerbaijani diaspora.