Homeland politics, imagined homeland, and the formation of Oromo diaspora identity

ABSTRACT

This article looks at how homeland politics have shaped the perceptions of the homeland and host countries among the Oromo diaspora community. Unfavorable political conditions in Ethiopia have encouraged ethnic Oromo living in North American diaspora communities to construct alternative physical and social landscapes that evoke feelings of nostalgia while maintaining their engagement with homeland affairs. These imagined landscapes have gradually become an integral part of their enduring memories, and most of the forced emigres are now keen to involve themselves in the social and economic issues of their place of birth, rather than simply focusing on their daily routines in their host countries. This demonstrates an ongoing nexus between the country of origin and host countries that maintains and encourages transnationalism.

KEYWORDS:

• Diaspora
• ethnic identity
• homeland
• Oromo community
• transnationalism

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the participants for willing to share their ideas with me. May thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received to support with the preparation of this manuscript.

Notes on contributors

Bula Wayessa

Bula Wayessa is an assistant professor in the Department of African American & African Studies (affiliated with the Anthropology Department), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His research interests include the materiality of social identity, mobility, ontology, and agrarian change.