Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the politics of re-making a home diaspora, a mobile unit. It makes a case for the potential of testimonial narratives in resolving the long-standing tension between gendered mobility and rootedness in place.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the politics of re-making a home diaspora, a mobile unit. It makes a case for the potential of testimonial narratives in resolving the long-standing tension between gendered mobility and rootedness in place. While relaying singular experiences, I argue that testimonial narratives capture a collective situation inscribed in the social landscape to tell a more powerful story, a point that this paper addresses using a gendered lens. This discussion is grounded in the testimonial narratives of two Iranian women living in Canada. Drawing on ethnographic research (2004, 2015-2016) in metropolis Vancouver, this paper shows that women's reimagining of home is not merely related to reconfiguration of culture and traditions but include the dimension of interrogating the unit of the nation-state. I argue for greater attention to be paid to the larger and more critical role of women brought to light through what is otherwise considered as mundane activities of everyday life. This paper contributes to the burgeoning literature on the constitution of a diasporic/mobile home that include but also exceed territorial boundaries.