Chapter authored by 2012 DPDF New Approaches to Transnationalism and Migratory Circulation Research Director, Khachig Tölölyan in Diaspora as a Resource: Comparative Studies in Strategies, Networks, and Urban Space, edited by Waltraud Kokot, Christian Giordano, and Mijal Gandelsman-Trier.

Diasporas are nodes of cultural exchange, connecting different systems of values, beliefs and social organization. Throughout history and present, diasporas have provided important contributions to economies, politics and culture both for their home countries and for societies of residence.

This volume contains case studies from different disciplines, exploring diaspora as a resource both on collective and on individual levels. Common themes are the structure and use of diaspora networks, as well as relations between different diasporas ranging from co-existence to competition or strategic co-operation, and the complex interdependence between diaspora and urbanity.