Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Migration and global diasporas
Geographers have long been interested in the permanent and temporary movement of people
across the globe (see also Duncan, Chapter 14 and Casado-Diaz, Chapter 15 of this volume).
One of the most widely studied phenomena in this regard is human migration and ethnic
diasporas - large movements of people, who share a common race, ethnicity or heritage, from
their original homeland to new lands abroad. Traditionally, most work by historical geogra-
phers in relation to these elements of human mobility has sought to understand settlement
patterns, ethnic imprints on the cultural landscape, and migration routes. Much recent
research has taken a critical social theory and deconstructionist stance, focusing on a multi-
plicity of concepts including race relations, social boundaries, ethnic identity as derived from
migrant experiences, and ethno-politics. Tourism researchers have also begun to realise the
importance of migration and diasporic movements of people throughout the globe, identi-
fying various forms of travel that derive from a people's ethnic or immigrant heritage (Coles
and Timothy, 2004).
Some observers suggest that a diaspora's migration experience and its members' living
conditions in the new country are salient variables in how their sense of belonging develops
and how they view their original homeland. Hollinshead (1998) noted that many immigrant
communities view themselves as 'halfway populations' or souls with a hyphenated identity,
not feeling completely at home in the new land or the original homeland. Thus they are
caught in an identity crisis of in-betweenness, which often results in deep-seated angst and a
feeling of restlessness in their adopted countries. For many people this translates into a desire
to visit their ancestral homeland.
A few different types of tourism have been recognised in recent years as being closely
connected to diasporic movements and migration. Primary among these are return travellers,
who are typically fi rst-generation migrants visiting their original homelands. This is a very
common motive for international travel among fi rst- and second-generation diasporic
peoples, such as Mexican-Americans returning to Mexico or Turkish-Americans returning
to Turkey on their holidays. In most cases, their primary motive is reinforcing social and
familial networks and seeing their former homes.
Another type of diaspora-related tourism is people of distant migrant heritage travelling
to the lands of their ancestors. This 'roots tourism' is becoming more commonplace as
members of immigrant societies desire to visit the lands of their forebears. Roots tourism, or
genealogy travel, is unique among other forms of heritage tourism in that such experiences
are generally much more personal, emotional and, in some cases, spiritual. In this sense
people often seek to negotiate their own identities by visiting their ancestral lands, communing
with the peoples and places that represent their own genetic past, and experiencing the spirit
of places where their ancestors might have toiled and worshipped.
One element of roots tourism is the growing importance of genealogy as a salient compo-
nent of the travel experience. Genealogy tourists, or personal heritage tourists, typically
become involved in family history research while on their heritage holidays. They visit
archives, churches, cemeteries, genealogical libraries and public records offi ces. They also
have a tendency to visit farmsteads, villages or towns from which their ancestors migrated,
and they immerse themselves in local culture, enjoying traditional food, attending clan reun-
ions, and mingling with locals, who might possibly be distant relatives (Timothy, 1997,
2008).
People of Scottish, Welsh and Irish lineage are three groups that have been well researched.
Their ancestral homelands have actively sought to develop personal heritage tourism among
 
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