Mishra describes diasporas in this way to underscore how the dispersion of a people can impact the way people understand their identity. Recall that Mishra defines the diasporic imaginary as:

Any ethnic enclave in a nation-state that defines itself, consciously, unconsciously or through self-evidence or implied political coercion, as a group that lives in displacement.

He argues that diasporas must be understood not just in terms of how traumatic they were while they happened, but how trauma and alienation from them have been passed on. People whose ancestors were forcibly removed from their homeland might have a complex understanding of their identity that they want to explore further. They might be uncomfortable with a non-hyphenated passport because they feel that the label on their passport does not reflect who they truly are and who they would be if their ancestors had not been separated from their homeland. For example, consider how many African people were enslaved during the slave trade and forced to work in Caribbean colonies. Their descendants were born in the Caribbean but are African. These people might feel alienated from their homeland and also feel incomplete with the Caribbean identity on their passport.

However, Mishra then notes that they might not want to “press the hyphen too far” for fear of “massive schizophrenia.” Here, he is bringing attention to the way forcing oneself to assimilate to one culture or another can be an uncomfortable process and can have detrimental impacts on a person's mental state. Searching for an identity one is alienated from and trying to force it on oneself and others might result in even more cultural fragmentation. It may also bring up the painful trauma of events like enslavement and colonization.