Mediating Homing Desire

Abstract

This paper takes the concept of ââ¬Åhomeââ¬Â as the entry point into the complex problematics not only of knowledge and representation, but also of what makes these visible, that is, notions such as: diaspora, gender, identity. and multiculturalism, as they disrupt the apparent homogeneity of the aforementioned epistemic categories, opening them to questions and re-considerations. I start by examining different definitions of ââ¬Åhomeââ¬Â to then situate my (critical) inquiry into the dispersed interval open within this approach. I continue by arguing that ââ¬Åhomeââ¬Â is not a matter (only) of either epistemology (that is, ââ¬Åknowing homeââ¬Â/ ââ¬Åwhere/what home isââ¬Â) or of ontology (for instance, ââ¬Åbeing at homeââ¬Â/ ââ¬Âaway from homeââ¬Â), but most importantly of uneven becoming. It is a process of becoming that needs to rethink the notion of ââ¬Åhomeââ¬Â to include its own otherness, its own ââ¬Åforeignness-to-itself.ââ¬Â It is a process that involves not only the understanding of home and the formation of the identity (politics) of a diasporic community, but also of the structural dynamics of desire and affect as formative of both the self and the diasporic community within the larger dynamics of globalization processes.