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Representing the Homeland

Lebanese Diasporic Notions of Home and Return in a Global Context

Southern Methodist University, dhady{at}smu.edu

This article examines the representation of home among members of the Lebanese diaspora in New York, Montreal and Paris. Lebanese immigrants view home as both a concrete reality that is achieved physically or in relation with others and a symbolic reference point that moves beyond territorial boundaries. These overlapping strategies allow them to imagine and recreate their sense of home and belonging (to both a past and present) that provide sources of stability used in dealing with life in the diaspora. However, these strategies also highlight a lack of desire to return to Lebanon as they illustrate how Lebanese immigrants bring home to their new settings in ways that question national forms of belonging and ethnic identification. As a result, the myth of return which was once considered a defining feature of diasporic communities is no longer a unifying point among members of the diaspora.

Key Words: diaspora • globalization • identity • immigration • transnationalism

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