An important cultural-political phenomenon, ethno-national diasporas try to feel at home in their host countries, and yet maintain close contact with their homelands and promote their culture and interest. The book analyzes their continuous struggle to maintain their identity, to organize, and to fight against all those who want to prevent their permanent settlement and integration in their host countries. It discusses the complex questions of the loyalties of these groups to their homelands and host countries and their potential and actual contributions to their host countries and homelands.

Gabriel Sheffer is Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and editor of The Jerusalem Journal of International Relations. Recipient of the Israeli Prime Minister's Prize for Political Biography, he has advised various Israeli governments. He frequently contributes to Israeli and foreign magazines and quality newspapers. He published extensively on ethno-national diasporas, the Jewish Diaspora, Israeli politics and foreign policy. Among his other authored books, he is the author of Moshe Sharett: Biography of a Political Moderate.

Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Primary questions and hypotheses; 2. Diasporism and diasporas in history; 3. A collective portrait of contemporary diasporas; 4. Diasporas in numbers; 5. The making, development, and unmaking of diasporas; 6. Stateless and state-linked diasporas; 7. Trans-state networks and politics; 8. Diasporas, the nation-state and regional integration; 9. Loyalty; 10. Diasporas at home abroad; References; Index.