'Foreward'

Diaspora Studies Series is an interdisciplinary series developed by the Diasporic Constructions of Home and Belonging Indian Diaspora Centre, University of Mumbai. It focusses on cutting edge research produced in the context of the Diaspora at the intersections of literature, cinema, sociology, history, economics and politics. It encourages interaction between these disciplines in the context of the changing trajectories of diaspora studies in the new Millennium. The focus is on the Indian Diaspora as it is the second largest diaspora today with over 26 million Persons of Indian Origins living in over a 100 countries around the world. With the globalisation of the Indian economy this diaspora is becoming increasingly visible in the host countries and of vital importance within the home country of India too. The Indian Diaspora today is also active politically, culturally and economically in its host lands and needs to be studied in all its varied aspects. However other global diasporas, especially in the context of the new millennium, are under the scanner in this series, such as the Eastern European and Russian in the post-communist era. In this millennium we also have to deal with the issue of the displacement of thousands of men, women and children through wars and ethnic cleansing in Syria, Yemen and other places in the Middle East and South Asia. These refugees from violence and bloodshed are beginning to constitute new and often contentious diasporas in Europe and North America. The Diaspora Studies Series will contribute to the rise and consolidation of the study of Diaspora in the New Millennium and provide fresh perspectives on older diasporic theories and emergent post-diaspora work. It will thus provide new and challenging perspectives from home, host and transnational locations. Given its scope, the readership of the volumes in the series should be of value to students, researchers and teachers of diaspora studies at universities around the world.