Diasporas, Cultures and Identities brings together a range of original research papers from Ethnic and Racial Studies that are concerned with the question of the role of diasporic ties and the social, cultural and political processes that are engendered by the changing experiences of these communities. Chapters cover a range of geopolitical and empirical contexts and serve to highlight the diverse theoretical and empirical questions that have become an integral part of the study of race and ethnicity in the contemporary environment. The study of the role of diasporas in modern societies has proceeded apace over the past two decades. Although the role of diasporic communities has been the subject of historical reflection for some time, it is only now that the concept of diaspora has become a core theme in the social sciences and humanities. We have seen an ongoing discussion about notions such as diaspora, transnationalism and cosmopolitanism and their appropriateness as conceptual frames of reference for analyzing the diverse experiences of communities that have become dispersed across the globe. This collection makes an important contribution to this body of scholarship and research.
This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.
1. Introduction: Diasporas, Cultures and Identities Martin Bulmer, University of Surrey, UK, and John Solomos, City University London, UK
2. The Diaspora Project of Arab Americans: Assessing the Magnitude and Determinants of Politicized Ethnic Identity Kenneth D. Wald, University of Florida, USA
3. How Diasporic Ties Emerge: Pan-American Nikkei Communities and the Japanese State Ayumi Takenaka, Bryn Mawr College, USA
4. Culture, Utility or Social Systems? Explaining the Cross-National Ties of Emigrants form Borşa, Romania Christina Boswell, University of Edinburgh, UK, and Oana Ciobanu, Hamburg Institute of International Economics, Germany
5. Are We All Transnationals Now? Network Transnationalism and Transnational Subjectivity: The differing Impacts of Globalization on the Inhabitants of a Small Swiss City Janine Dahinden, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
6. Does the Canonical Theory of Assimilation Explain the Roma Case? Some Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe Òscar Prieto-Flores, University of Girona, Spain
7. Social Capital and Voting Participation of Immigrants and Minorities in Canada Pieter Bevelander, Malmö University, Sweden, and Ravi Pendakur, University of Ottawa, Canada
8. Attitudes Towards Polish Immigrants to the Republic of Ireland: An Integrated Threat Analysis Gunnar B. Scheibner, Massey University, New Zealand, and Todd G. Morrison, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
9. Caribbean and South Asian Identification with British Society: The Importance of Perceived Discrimination Rahsaan Maxwell, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
10. Segmented Assimilation in the Netherlands? Young Migrants and Early School Leaving Willibrord De Graaf and Kaj Van Zenderen, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Biography
Martin Bulmer is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey, UK. He retired in 2008, prior to which he was also Director of the ESRC Question Bank. He has edited the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies since 1993.
John Solomos is Professor of Sociology at City University London, UK. He has carried out extensive research on race, politics and social change and on theories of race and ethnicity. He is co-editor of Ethnic and Racial Studies.
