Diasporas, Transnational Ties, and Ethnic-Religious Minorities

This chapter explores situations affecting citizens whose ethnic or religious diaspora identities and transnational contacts have either gained them recognition or delegitimized their standing in the eyes of state authorities and sectors of public opinion. The analysis reviews the Jewish presence in the Americas before diving deeper into the case of Jewish Venezuelans, followed by presenting comparative observations on Jewish Cubans and on Muslims and Arabs living in the Triborder area where the jurisdictions of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet. As Latin America has been primarily a continent of Christians, these case studies explore the meeting ground between the states’ geopolitics and cultural premises and their implications for those whose intersectional identities may open grounds for sectors challenging their legitimate standing as citizens.