Diaspora is a term that has its etymological origin in Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two components of that language:
-The prefix “dia-”, which can be translated as “through”.
-The noun “spora”, which is synonymous with “seed” or “sowing”.
The disintegration or exodus of the members of a community who must leave their land of origin is known as diaspora. See Abbreviation Finder for acronyms related to diaspora.
The original meaning of the term was linked to the dispersion of the Jews outside of Israel. However, the notion can refer to what happens with any religious or ethnic group whose members have been forced to leave their place of origin and are therefore spread across different countries.
The Jewish diaspora developed in different historical stages. The first exile took place in 586 BC: at that time, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II succeeded in conquering the Kingdom of Judah and brought the Jewish leaders to Babylon. Then there were other diasporas until the State of Israel was established in 1948; since then, all Jews have the possibility of returning to their land.
In the same way, within universal history we cannot ignore what is known as the Sephardic diaspora. Under this term reference is made to the moment in which the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 by order of the Catholic Monarchs. The fact that at that time the Iberian Peninsula was considered the Biblical Sepharad by some Jews caused them to be known by the name of Sephardim.
At that time, most of the Jews who were summoned by the aforementioned monarchs went to the neighboring country of Portugal as well as to the kingdom of Navarra, to North Africa and even to certain states of Italy. However, both from Portugal and Navarra ended up being expelled shortly after and many of them chose the Netherlands as their destination.
The decision made by the kings Isabel and Fernando had its origin in an initiative of the Inquisition, at the head of which was the inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada. The document that established that expulsion was made publicly known in April 1492 and was drawn up by him.
The Cuban diaspora, on the other hand, began to develop in 1959 with the triumph of the Revolution. Thousands of Cubans, dissatisfied with the communist regime, decided to emigrate and settled in different nations.
Currently, the Venezuelan diaspora is often spoken of to refer to those who made the decision to leave their homeland due to the policies of Chavismo. This translated into increasing Venezuelan immigration to countries such as the United States, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia.
The African diaspora, the Chinese diaspora, the Turkish diaspora and the Basque diaspora are other migratory movements that led to the dispersion of communities.