Title: Latin Americans in London and the Dynamics of Diasporic Identities
Abstract: The migration of Latin Americans to Britain and the contribution of Latin Americans to London's distinct and varied cultural 'ethnoscape' have been conspicuously neglected in the literature on diasporas.1 The aim of this essay is to make this presence more visible and in doing so I wish to contribute more broadly to debates about the movement and articulation of cultural identities across different geographical locations. This will be done firstly by exploring the ways in which Latin Americans develop routes through the city and establish connections to specific sites; and, secondly, the essay will focus on the ways in which Latin Americans contribute to the changing character of London by transforming these sites, thereby attributing specific Latin identities to them. Studies of diaspora have provided us with ways of understanding the types of connection that people establish with certain locations, as well as the ways in which identities are transformed in the process of relocation. These issues are often explored in relation to the nation-state (through ideas of national and cultural identity) and not in relation to specific sites within the territories in which these groups have relocated.2 However, in approaching the issue of Latin identities in London I draw on the concept of diaspora as a way of understanding the relationship between place and identity.KeywordsCultural IdentityPersonal InterviewShopping CentreUndocumented ImmigrantLatin American ImmigrationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 9
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