Life between Two Zions: The Beta Israel and their Experience of Multiple Diasporas

Authors

Alexander Peeples, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract

There are several communities at the intersection of both the African and Jewish Diasporas, but the largest is a community of Ethiopian Jews known as the Beta Israel who have primarily resided in Israel since the 1980s. As a group that is defined by multiple homelands and overlapping oppressions, their experience provides a unique demonstration of the limits and possibilities of diasporic identities in explaining and defining the modern world. In particular, the recent experiences of the Beta Israel draw attention to the limits of essentializing identity, collective notions of shared oppression, and inert understandings of place. The work of interpreting the implications for a broader understanding of African diaspora requires an understanding of the Beta Israel’s demonstrable history, imagined histories, and the varied societal acceptance of their self-identification.

First Page

130

Last Page

144

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Peeples, Alexander (2019) "Life between Two Zions: The Beta Israel and their Experience of Multiple Diasporas," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2019.090207
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol9/iss2/7