Overview of Diaspora & Transnational Studies

Taken together, the concepts of Diaspora and Transnationalism are
important tools that help unravel the profound implications that derive
from the vast movement of people, ideas, and things across the world
today. 'Diaspora' involves an understanding of the shifting relations
between homelands and host nations from the perspective of those who
have moved, whether voluntarily or not. It emphasizes migrant
communities experiences of negotiating forms of existence and
self-understanding that extend beyond national boundaries both in time
and space. 'Transnationalism', on the other hand, focuses attention on
flows and counterflows and the multistranded connections they give rise
to. It includes not just the movement of people, but of ideas of
citizenship, of technology, of forms of multinational governance, of
modes of political organization, of differing notions of sovereignty,
and of the impulses of markets, all of which shape our world today.


The program in Diaspora and Transnational Studies at Scarborough speaks
directly to students' experiences of migration and diaspora through an
interdisciplinary lens drawn from both the social sciences and
humanities. Courses in DTS bring different disciplinary perspectives to
bear upon experiences of migration and exile, concepts of home, memories
of trauma, the reproduction of cultural identities, and the cultural
formations that emerge through diaspioric and transnational processes.
Run across all three campuses, the program proposes to become the focus
for innovative and important graduate and faculty research within the
university and across the world. The associated Centre for Dispora and
Transnational Studies adds important dimensions to the university's
national and international reputation, at the same time connecting us to
the city of Toronto itself.
Leading Research, Outstanding Faculty, and Vibrant Student Life - Experience U of T Scarborough
© 2006 University of Toronto Scarborough. All Rights Reserved.
For further information, please contact: (416)287-7119 or hum-office@utsc.utoronto.ca.
This web page is maintained by the Humanities Department, University of Toronto Scarborough.