My interest in diaspora started in 2006 when I visited Jammu for a program and was led to a small town populated by migrant Nepalis, known as Gorkha Nagar. After that, I pursued diaspora studies for my MPhil thesis and have been continuously following this subject. For almost 12 years, I have been particularly interested in the Nepali diaspora.
When I say COVID diaspora, I mean the COVID-induced diaspora. My idea diverges from what Professor Agarwal suggested—that because of COVID, the phenomenon of diaspora might disappear in the future. However, I propose a different hypothesis: a new form of diaspora has emerged due to COVID, which I call the COVID diaspora. My aim is to make this a more universal concept, identifying shared, common experiences across borders and around the world.
By “theoretical construct,” I specifically refer to rhetorical standpoints in discussing this new diaspora—the COVID-induced diaspora. Diaspora Studies generally considers three factors in the formation of diaspora: diaspora scholarship, the process of diasporaization, and diasporic experience and politics. To borrow from Stephen Vertovec, we also consider four basic constructs: diaspora as a social form, diaspora as a type of consciousness, diaspora as a decentered attachment, and diaspora as multi-locality—the experience of being “here or there or both.”
I understand diaspora as a continuous recreation through the mind, cultural artifacts, and shared imagination. We still need to explore how cultural artifacts are being constructed to reflect the present experiences of mobility. However, it is evident that dislocated or relocated individuals form new imaginations about their identities.
My talk will focus on three main aspects of the COVID diaspora: mobility, experience, and manifestation. I will use Nepalis as a point of reference in this discussion.
Taking Nepal as an example, mobility during the pandemic has occurred at multiple levels. International mobility has happened by land, particularly from India to Nepal, and by air, with Nepalese returning from the Gulf, South Asia, and beyond. Internally, inter-province mobility has increased, occurring both through transportation and on foot.
One particularly interesting aspect of mobility is the movement from Kathmandu to other parts of the country. Migration within Nepal has followed patterns across different terrains—from the plains to the hills, from the hills to the mountains, and vice versa. One essential push factor has been fear, trauma, confusion, and, in some cases, the compulsion to relocate. In the international context, this compulsion has sometimes been legal, but mostly it has been driven by fear and trauma related to uncertainty. Unlike traditional diaspora movements, which are largely driven by economic factors, the pull factor in this case has been more emotional. The primary motivation has been the desire to feel secure in the homeland rather than to seek economic stability abroad. Another interesting aspect of mobility has been the emergence of multiple hosts at different border points, leading to the emergence of multiple homes—both real and imagined. These aspects define the mobility of people in Nepal and may be equally applicable to other parts of South Asia.
In traditional diaspora literature, the experience of diaspora is linked to alienation, the idea of “home away from home,” and the process of negotiating with the host community to build a new identity. However, these ideas have been blurred by the COVID diaspora. One key shift has been the closure of borders while simultaneously creating multiple new borders—both physical and cultural. For example, the India-Nepal border was closed, but within each country, different borders were established: interstate borders, inter-province borders, and even divisions between rural and urban areas.
In Nepal, a legal pass system was introduced, which functioned as a kind of surrogate visa, allowing people to travel within their own country. This system was tedious and often traumatic.
For returnees, the experience of home was altered significantly. Many who returned in large numbers felt foreign in their own homeland. The traditional concept of “home away from home” was deconstructed, leading to a sense of alienation at home. The quarantine process was another significant challenge. Those returning from India had to spend 14 days on the Indian side of the border, another 14 days on the Nepalese side, several days in municipal quarantine facilities, and an additional seven days at home. This created an experience of alienation within their own homeland. What was supposed to be a “welcome return” often felt like “unwelcome exile.” Thus, the traditional host-home binary was blurred. Legal hurdles, quarantine restrictions, and new mobility regulations complicated the experience of belonging.
The COVID diaspora has led to various socio-economic and political manifestations. In Nepal, this phenomenon has reshaped local labor structures, displaced certain groups, and influenced agricultural patterns. A redistribution of land and housing is likely to take place as more people relocate to rural areas. These shifts are likely to have long-term implications on Nepal’s social and political landscape. One emerging phenomenon is the rise of what I term “tenant diaspora” within cities. The displacement of tenant populations has led to new and precarious forms of migration and resettlement.
Additionally, the concept of diaspora is evolving into a subaltern construct. The COVID diaspora has introduced a new layer of complexity, as mobility is now being driven by security concerns rather than economic motivations. This shift may lead to a significant reconfiguration of diaspora studies in the future.
To sum up, the COVID diaspora presents a unique set of challenges and transformations. The pandemic has reshaped mobility, redefined the experience of home, and introduced new socio-economic and political dynamics. These changes necessitate a reconsideration of traditional diaspora theories and call for new theoretical constructs to better understand this emerging phenomenon.
[An updated script of a conference plenary delivered on 24 July 2020. The conference was organized online by Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Rajasthan. The plenary audio file was recently transcribed using Otter.ai and the transcript proofread by ChatGPT before my final editing. [I posted this to reminisce one of my meaningful engagements during COVID-19 lockdown.]