Concrete Diaspora vs. Abstract Diaspora Hybrid Texts: Translations and Original Writings

The hybrid quality of a text can be the result of its being produced in an in-between space such as a diaspora. The present study examines the hybrid character of a number of texts which are labeled as immigrant literature and compares them with texts produced in Iran (homeland) in order to find out whether hybridity is specific to texts produced in diaspora or it can also be found in texts produced in homeland. The comparison is carried out using a model of hybridity which classifies manifestations of hybridness under three main approaches to hybridization. The results of the analysis illustrated that hybridity is not a quality peculiar to diasporic texts and texts developed in homeland can be hybrid too. This necessitated the rethinking of the definition of diaspora. Moreover, this study showed that the context of text production is merely one of the factors accounting for the hybridness of a text; other factors can be the particular intention of the writer or translator or the description of a hybrid community.