Global diasporas: an introduction / Robin Cohen

Previous ed.: London: UCL, 1997.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1 Four phases of diaspora studies
The prototypical diaspora 2
The expanded concept of diaspora 4
Social constructionist critiques of diaspora 8
The consolidation phase 11
Conclusion: the tools to delineate a diaspora 15
Further reading 19
Questions to think about 19
2 Classical notions of diaspora: transcending the Jewish tradition
’Babylon’ as a site of oppression 22
’Babylon’ as a site of creativity 23
The Jewish diaspora and Christianity 24
The Jewish diaspora and Islam 21
Ashkenazifates 30
Conclusion 34
Further reading 36
Questions to think about 36
3 Victim diasporas: Africans and Armenians
Origins of the African diaspora 40
The African diaspora: homeland and return 43
Other aspects of the African diaspora 46
Jlie creation of the Armenian diaspora 48
After the massacres: Armenians at home and abroad 51
Soviet Armenia and after 56
Conclusion 57
Further reading 58
Questions to think about 59
4 Labour and imperial diasporas: indentured Indians
and the British
A new system of slavery? 62
The songs of Ramayana and political outcomes 65
Imperial diasporas 68
The settlement of the British Empire 69
The end of the dominion diaspora 74
Conclusion 77
Further reading 80
Questions to think about 80
5 Trade and business diasporas: Chinese and Lebanese
The making of the Chinese diaspora 84
The Chinese as minorities 88
The great Lebanese emigration 91
The Lebanese diaspora: butterflies and caterpillars 94
Conclusion: ethnic entrepreneurs and trade diasporas 97
Further reading 99
Questions to think about 99
6 Diasporas and their homelands: Zionists and Sikhs
Birth traumas: can Israel be a ’normal’ state? 104
brael and the diaspora 106
The origins of the Sikh diaspora 112
Sikhs: the lure of homeland 114
Conclusion 119
Further reading 120
Questions to think about 121
7 Deterritorialized diasporas: the black Atlantic and
the lure of Bombay
The Caribbean: migration and diaspora 124
African-Caribbeans in the USA 126
African-Caribbeans in the UK 127
Caribbean peoples in the Netherlands and France 128
The black Atlantic thesis 130
Sindhis and Parsis in Bombay 135
Conclusion 137
Further reading 138
Questions to think about 139
8 Mobilizing diasporas in a global age
Diasporas in a globalized economy 142
New forms of international migration 144
Cosmopolitanism, global cities and the bridging role of diasporas 146
Religion and diasporas 150
Conclusion 154
Further reading 156
Questions to thiitk about 156
9 Studying diasporas: old methods and new topics
Flow and why do typologies work? 160
Comparing diasporas: Wittgenstein’s rope 161
Diasporas as agents of development 168
The role of diasporas in international politics 169
Negative reactions to the growth of diasporas 170
Final remarks 172
A literature guide 174
Questions to think about 177