"Diasporas - large-scale ethnic migrations - have been a source of growing concern as we try to understand the nature of community, identity and nationalism. Traditionally diaspora communities have been understood to be pariah communities, and most work on diasporas has focused on specific groups such as the Jewish or African Diaspora. This book is unique in arguing against traditional interpretations and in taking a comparative look at a range of diasporas, including the Jewish, Arab, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Maltese, Greek and Armenian diasporas."--BOOK JACKET.