Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

This paper presents research on Irish diaspora identity and focuses on the liminal space of Irish diaspora women in England. Keri E Smith puts forth the reasoning for the emergence of the hybrid identity in diasporic communities (Smith, 2008). There have been a number of theorists dealing with identity and diaspora, among them, Homi K Bhabha. Bhabha defines hybridity of identity as “a form of in-between space”, namely a “’third space’, a space inherently critical of uniqueness or purity of original culture”. (Bhabha, 1991) Diaspora as a term suggests a dispersal or migration to more than one destination and links formed between different populations of migrants across distances. (Butler, 2001) A precondition of diaspora is a continuing sense of connectedness to the homeland and a liminal status in the country of settlement. (Butler, 2001) Avtar Brah argues that migrants have a “homing identity”, an identity that acknowledges that ‘home’ is in the new setting of residence, alongside a concurrent imagined ‘home’ that has been left behind. (Brah, 1996) The practical element of this research centeres around photographing Irish women who have emigrated to London. Through portraits of Irish immigrant women and interview texts centered around the immigrant experience, this project uses the sentimental object as a method of loci, to enhance memories of the homeland and the diasporic journey. The research methodology employed ethnographic techniques, with fieldwork interview questions concerned with Irish identity post-Brexit and also the notion of hybrid identities.