Diasporas in the Contemporary World

Milton Esman is John S. Knight Professor Emeritus of International Studies and Professor Emeritus of Government at Cornell University.

• Introduction 1Chapter 1 What are diasporas, why do they matter? 3Chapter 2 Definition and classes of diasporas 13Chapter 3 Contemporary case studies 223a. North Africans in France 223b. Overseas Chinese: Malaysian, Thai, Japanese 353c. Zionists in Palestine 483d. Ukrainians in Canada 603e. The “Russian” diaspora in Israel 693f. Afro-Brazilians, 1531–2008 763g. Palestinians in Kuwait 843h. Mexicans in the United States 88Chapter 4 Problems and processes of adaptation 100Chapter 5 Diasporas and international relations 120Chapter 6 Diasporas and ethnic conflict 133Chapter 7 Diasporas and public policy 149Chapter 8 Prospects and outcomes 167Notes 184Bibliography 199Index 207

"A very clear, coherent fascinating and original argumentation."Political Studies Review"A significant attempt to comprehensively gauge the shape and dynamics of the world's diaspora communities, which is no small task for a relatively short book. Yet Esman's deep knowledge and overview of the research literature makes him uniquely placed to undertake such a venture ... Esman manages to demonstrate not only why diasporas are so important in modern societies, but also how every single society on earth is today affected by migration in one way or another ... an interesting and informative read."Runnymeade's Quarterly Bulletin "Milton Esman's highly original and insightful new book focuses on a hitherto underanalyzed type of ethnic conflict that is of crucial and growing importance in the 21st century. It is both a superb example of comparative analysis and a rich source of persuasive policy recommendations." Arend Lijphart, University of California, San Diego"Using examples from four continents, Milton Esman documents the major variations determining whether diasporas adjust to their host societies, continue to evince a predominant loyalty to their homelands or evolve a hybrid set of attachments. By his analytical clarity and pointed illustrations, the author has made a noteworthy contribution to diaspora studies." Robin Cohen, University of Oxford"A wide ranging and insightful analysis of the distinctive trajectories that diasporic groups experience. Esman deftly illuminates the challenges posed by large-scale movements of people and charts the potential pathways for incorporating migrant communities into their new host societies." Margaret Weir, University of California, Berkeley