A House of Our Own: Diaspora Politics Among Koreans in the Russian Far East

This paper discusses the newly formed public space that exists for Koreans in the Russian Far East (RFE). It shows that the notion of diaspora is a fluctuating political subjectivity in Russia that is largely defined and regulated by the state. It examines the changes that have taken place in the local politics surrounding the Korean diaspora in the RFE resulting from their experience of the Stalinist purge and their return from Central Asia during the post-socialist transition. Central to this research is a building called Koreiskii Dom and the conflicts surrounding its ownership and use. By examining these conflicts, this paper explores how the focus of community for Russian Koreans has shifted from national rehabilitation to cultural recognition influenced by the increasing prominence of businessmen in local politics, and the substantive demands made on public spaces for practices of cultural reconsolidation.     

Malaga—The Journey: The Performing Arts as Motivational Tool for Pasifika Students in Aotearoa New Zealand

In 2009, the musical work Malaga: The Journey, based on the journeys of Pacific peoples to Aotearoa New Zealand, was staged in the city of Porirua. Involving a large group of predominantly Pasifika students from three local secondary schools, the aim of the project was to encourage and motivate students to achieve better educational outcomes, and affirm positive notions of Pacific identities. Using these objectives as a starting point, this article presents a personal observational ethnography of the two weeks leading up to the shows, highlighting how these themes were incorporated into the rehearsal space and reflected in the work itself. Ending with anecdotes from those most closely involved in bringing Malaga to the stage, it suggests not only that the show was successful but also adds to discourses around the value of performing arts and culture in wider educational contexts.     

Sea breeze: Globalisation and cook islands popular music

This paper examines the dynamics of Cook Islands popular music, most commonly referred to as ‘island music’. Among Cook Islands communities at home and abroad, island music is performed at informal gatherings, at nightclubs and bars. It is also a central component of large functions such as weddings and island fundraising events. String bands—who perform island music—undertake performance tours through New Zealand, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. These bands also record audiotapes and CDs of their music, which are extremely popular among Cook Islander communities across the region. Despite island music's centrality in many social contexts it is also the subject of much critical debate. It is viewed by some both as a ‘bastardisation’ of ‘traditional’ expressive forms and as an indicator of ‘global’ corruption; local music is seen as ‘swamped’ by Western popular music. I argue that these debates are symptomatic of anxiety about globalisation and related notions of authenticity, cultural ownership and loss. They are also ultimately concerned with negotiating locality and identity across the Cook Islands diaspora.     

SPECIAL ISSUE： RELIGION AND SOCIETY： CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION：Tracing Judaism in China

中国是唯一一个犹太人在此连续生活过一千多年的远东国家。由于犹太人与犹太教密不可分,犹太教也在中国社会存在了一千多年。犹太教不仅仅指犹太人的宗教信仰,也构成犹太人日常生活的重要组成部分。本文追溯了犹太人在中国生活的时代背景,以及他们的日常生活,如宗教仪式、教育、饮食、丧葬等,力图为犹太教在中国的具体实践提供佐证。文章还从历史角度讨论了中国官方对犹太教的态度。     

印度“双重国籍”政策探析

受多重因素的推动,印度海外移民政策在过去几十年间发生了巨大的变化,其中近年来新推出的双重国籍政策尤为引人关注,它不仅极大地推动了印度经济的快速发展,而且有力地强化了印度与海外移民间的文化认同和情感联系。然而,该政策尽管在经过不断的发展和完善后已取得了重大的进步,但与真正的双重国籍政策相比仍有很大的一段距离,海外印度人目前并没有获得印度完全的国民身份和地位。虽然前景一片良好,但该政策能否实现最后的突破仍有待继续关注。     

双重否定的修辞格——加拿大华裔离散文学

离散社群与祖籍国和居住国之间的关系一直是族裔文学书写的重要命题.近年来的华裔文学显示出华裔在隶属关系上从"非此非彼"向"既此又彼"的一种转向.华裔经典文学"非此非彼"的修辞母题强调族裔血缘关系的民族主义要素,并不能为华裔离散群体提供完整的归属感.而"既此又彼"的跨民族杂糅范式打破了血缘关系的本质论神话,创建属于自己的"第三空间"的移民社群,为跨民族个体创造出了肉体和人格的双重归属.这两者的分歧,使人不得不批评性地评估离散文学经典的创作原则.     

关于60年来“民族”概念理论研究的述评

本文综述了60年来学术界对“民族”概念展开的理论研究概况,重点介绍了围绕斯大林民族定义展开的理论争论及其不同观点、不同理解、不同译法,同时也涉及到了汉民族的形成问题以及族群等问题的争鸣等。     

"Weapons of the Meek": Ecstatic Ritualism and Strategic Ecumenism among Tamil Hindus in Malaysia

This article examines the politics of Hindu revivalism among Tamils in Malaysia. In examining the dramatic pilgrimage and ritual of Thaipusam and the activities of a leading Hindu reform and performing arts organization, it is argued that the present resurgence of Hinduism is related to a growing sense of displacement experienced by Tamils in Malaysia. Thaipusam, while representing a collective assertion of Tamil and Hindu identity, also signifies "Indian" within an Islamic-modernist discourse of the Malaysian nation. Becoming an ethnic subject within a multicultural nationalist discourse, in turn, produces ambivalence among some Tamils which is manifested in status concerns and social distancing within the Tamil community. Many elite Hindus, in turn, are drawn to the apparently ecumenical and modernist teachings within Hindu reform organizations. The vicissitudes of Malaysian Hinduism bring into focus some of the complex ways that diasporic sentiments are produced and differentiated along lines of status and class within and against modernist state-ideologies.     

Downloading New Identities: Ethnicity,Technology, and Media in the Global Greek Village

This article addresses the ways in which new media and technology contest how Greek ethnic communities in Canada are organized and structured. New technologies allow Greeks to go beyond their physical community and interface, via computer, television, or periodicals with Greeks on a global scale. I argue that current uses in media and technology signal the creation of new dimensions to Greek diasporic identity and imply stronger ties with the homeland and other diasporic communities, thus contesting traditional assimilation paradigms indicating that European ethnic groups are in the twilight of their existence. These findings suggest an increase in the application of new technologies among the first and second generations with interesting implications for our understanding of ethnic identity. I propose that the advent of high-tech forms of media in the last fifteen years has created new outlets for expressing ethnicity among those who already have some Greek ethnic consciousness. The means of acquiring social and cultural capital within diasporic communities is expanded to include these new forms of media, with implications for habitus and daily practices.