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Welcome to the International Institute for Diaspora Studies
In an era of rapid globalization, the formal and informal power of border-crossing civil society networks is increasingly pertinent for policy-makers, business leaders, scholars and the civil societies themselves. In this context, diasporas matter a great deal. They include a range of ethnic communities formed from various categories of people, such as political and war refugees, (im)migrants, and ethnic and religious minorities that have maintained a sense of collective identity away from their homeland, operating exemplary transnational networkd between host states and homelands. The challenges they pose and the opportunities they represent for both their host countries and homelands are neither well enough understood nor sufficiently addressed. The field of Diaspora Studies provides a powerful lens through which to view and understand the contemporary fabric of North American society and the opportunities and challenges it faces.
As its primary forum for these studies, the IIDS co-publishes with the University of Toronto Press, the award-winning Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies. Within its pages, this journal looks at the character, capacity and concerns of Diasporan communities, as both domestic and international actors. It aims to analyse, understand and project possible outcomes of these vital dynamics forging the 21st century, in a comparitive international perspective, and to address diaspora issues pertinent to Canada, Europe, Australia and the US, among others.
News
International Conference & Student Workshop on the Armenian Diaspora
Boston-History, culture, and identity were the focus of over thirty scholars gathered at Boston University to participate in the "International Conference & Student Workshop on the Armenian Diaspora." The conference, organized by Dr. Simon Payaslian, took place from February 12 to 14 and was co-sponsored by the Charles K. and Elisabeth M. Kenosian Chair in Modern Armenian History and Literature at Boston University, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and the International Institute for Diaspora Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute). Read More...
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Zoryan Institite Releases New Edition of The Georgetown Boys,'Canada's Noble Experiment'
Toronto-The Zoryan Institute has just released a new edition of the Georgetown Boys, a moving story of Canada's immigration history, which became known as "Canada's Noble Experiment."
"This is a remarkable story of survival and cultural preservation," said Megan Swan, Program Coordinator of Zoryan's Genocide and Human Rights University Program. "The ability of these Armenian children to retain their cultural heritage in the face of tremendous pressure to assimilate, both direct and indirect, is especially inspiring." ...
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Debate on Dual Citizenship for Armenian Diaspora Addressed in Special Double issue of Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies
In the midst of the current Armenian presidential election and ongoing debate concerning the form in which dual-citizenship would be extended to Diaspora Armenians, Assistant Professor of Political Science Anna Ohanyan's extensive analysis of citizenship in Armenia and assessment of the current proposals offers critical perspective to anyone interested in the future wellbeing of the young republic. Ohanyan highlights the possible effects of different dual citizenship laws on the socio-economic and political development of the country and argues the need for such legislation to further diversify the economic players and make more efficient use of the financial and political resources of the Armenian diaspora.
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