Application of Andersons theory of 'imagined communities' to the Colombian Diasporas in Ecuador and United States of America

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Methods, Research, grade: 7, UNITEC New Zealand, course: Master of International Communication, language: English, abstract: This essay discusses and analyses briefly the theory by Benedict Anderson of 'imagined communities' and the theory of 'scapes' by Arjun Appadurai. After that, these theories by Anderson and Appadurai will be applied to the Colombian Diasporas in Ecuador and United States of America. Finally, the conclusion of this essay will display a summary of how Colombian Diasporas have created their own identity according to Anderson and Appadurai theories. Nowadays, there are many Diasporas scattered around the world. All of them have their own identity, culture and thoughts. It could be said that Diasporas have been formed by migration of tourists, refugees, expatriates, occasional workers, communities and overseas exile. Although Diasporas differ in culture, beliefs, background and thoughts, all have things in common such as a clear vision of their homeland, their feeling of belongingness to their homeland, their hopefulness to return to their country and their willingness of keeping their cultures and traditions. Due to those reasons, diaspora communities create their own identity which distinguishes them from other Diasporas. But the question is, why diaspora communities create their own identity abroad. Could the ideas of Benedict Anderson and Arjun Appadurai provide a clear explanation of this issue?

Alfredo José López Severiche is a Colombian citizen and New Zealander. Alfredo is a PhD graduate from Auckland University of Technology (AUT). He has undergraduate studies in Advanced Computer Science and a postgraduate in Information Technology. Alfredo holds a Master's degree with honours in International Communication. Also, he holds a Master's degree in International Development. Additionally, he has studied many courses such as •Anthropology of Current World Issues. •Global Sociology. •Global Social Change. •Human Rights. •Solving Public Policy Problems. •Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change. •International Human Rights. •Understanding the Origins of Crime. •Foundations of Psychology. •Sociology. •Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. •Human Resources. •Cybersecurity Management. •The Challenge of Big Data, and others. His expertise is in Migration and Refugees Studies, Quality of Life, Human Rights and Biblical studies.