Theorizing Diaspora: Perspectives on "Classical" and "Contemporary" Diaspora

Cohen (1997) employed the term “classical” diaspora in reference to the Jews. Indeed, a vast corpus of work recognizes the Jewish people as examples of quintessential diasporic groups. However, a broader conceptualization of the term diaspora allows for the inclusion of immigrant communities that would be otherwise sidelined in the conventional literature on diaspora. This study is therefore a departure from the traditional diasporic literature, which tends to use the Jewish Diaspora as the archetype. It favours, rather, the classification of three principal broad historical waves in which the Jewish Diaspora can be interpreted as part of a classical period. The historicizing of diasporization for the purpose of this paper is achieved by an empirical discussion of the three major historical waves that influenced the diasporic process throughout the world: the Classical Period, the Modern Period, and the Contemporary or Late‐modern Period. The paper discusses these three critical phases in the following manner: first, reference is made to the Classical Period, which is associated primarily with ancient diaspora and ancient Greece. The second historical phase analyses diaspora in relation to the Modern Period, which can be interpreted as a central historical fact of slavery and colonization. This section can be further subdivided into three large phases: (1) the expansion of European capital (1500–1814), (2) the Industrial Revolution (1815–1914), and (3) the Interwar Period (1914–1945). The final major period of diasporization can be considered a Contemporary or Late‐modern phenomenon. It refers to the period immediately after World War II to the present day, specifying the case of the Hispanics in the United States as one key example. The paper outlines some aspects of the impact of the Latin American diaspora on the United States, from a socio‐economic and politico‐cultural point of view. While the Modern and Late‐modern periods are undoubtedly the most critical for an understanding of diaspora in a modern, globalized context, for the purpose of this paper, more emphasis is placed on the latter period, which illustrates the progressive effect of globalization on the phenomenon of diasporization. The second period, the Modern Phase is not examined in this paper, as the focus is on a comparative analysis of the early Classical Period and the Contemporary or Late‐modern Period. The incorporation of diaspora as a unit of analysis in the field of international relations has been largely neglected by both recent and critical scholarship on the subject matter. While a growing number of studies focus on the increasing phenomenon of diasporic communities, from the vantage of social sciences, the issue of diaspora appears to be inadequately addressed or ignored altogether. Certain key factors present themselves as limitations to the understanding of the concept, as well as its relevance to the field of international relations and the social sciences as a whole. This paper is meant to clarify some aspects of the definition of diaspora by critiquing the theories in the conventional literature, exposing the lacunae in terms of interpretation of diaspora and in the final analysis, establishing a historiography that may be useful in comparing certain features of “classical” diaspora and “contemporary” diaspora. The latter part of the paper is intended to provide illustrations of a contemporary diasporic community, using the example of Hispanics in the United States.     

Voting in professional associations: The case of the American sociological association revisited

Who votes in ASA elections? This article examines data on voter turnout from two recent presidential contests of the American Sociological Association in an analysis of the determinants of election participation. Extending the 1981 Ridgeway and Moore study of voting dynamics in the ASA, we hypothesize that intraorganizational networks and particular demongraphic characteristics link ASA members to the discipline in a manner analogous to the way such factors operate in the national electorate. On the basis of data compiled from 1985 and 1986 ASA election returns, we find that network factors are the most salient determinants of voting behavior. We conclude that those organizational ties that effectively link members, however directly or indirectly, to the larger Association are the most predictive of propensity to vote.     

Dynamic component detection in a multifactor model for stock returns

Summary In this paper the factorial structure of some asset returns quoted at the Milan stock exchange is analyzed in order to detect the presence of a dynamic component. The maximum likelihood estimates of the dynamic model, for which a space-state representation and the Kalman filter were used, are compared with the estimates of the static model via the information criteria. There is no evidence of dynamic factors underlying the analyzed samples of asset returns, while one static factor seems to be relevant. Invited paper at the Conference held in Bologna, Italy, 27–28 May 1993, on ?Statistical Tests: Methodology and Econometric Applications?.     

Flexible models for non-equidispersed count data: comparative performance of parametric models to deal with underdispersion

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis - Count data as response variables are commonly modeled using Poisson regression models, which require equidispersion, i.e., equal mean and variance. However,...     

External Information Model in a Compositional Perspective: Evaluation of Campania Adolescents’ Preferences in the Allocation of Leisure-Time

Social Indicators Research - The study of preferences of leisure-time activities provides important information on the characteristics and inclinations of specific demographics. Modeling these data...     

REVIEWS

Bigner, J. J., & Wetchler, J. L. (Eds.). (2004). Relationship therapy with same-sex couples .
Cling, B. J. (Ed.). (2004). Sexualized violence against women and children: A psychology and law perspective .
Folberg, J., Milne, A., & Salem, P., (Eds.). (2004). Divorce and family mediation: Models, techniques and applications .
Rholes, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (Eds.). (2004). Adult attachment: Theory, research and clinical implications .
Sperry, L. (Ed.). (2004). Assessment of couples and families: Contemporary and cutting edge strategies .     

The Origin,Development, and Contemporary Status of Critical Theory*

This paper describes the nature of critical theory, its historical development, its connections to sociology and Marxism, and the central debates over its core ideas.     

Feasibility and efficacy of a binge drinking prevention intervention for college students delivered via the Internet versus postal mail

In this study, the authors evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of a binge drinking prevention intervention for college students delivered via the Internet versus a parallel print-based intervention delivered via postal mail. A total of 116 college students completed the baseline survey. The authors then randomized the students into the Web or print group and sent them intervention materials. One hundred and six students completed the posttest survey. The intervention consisted of a series of 4 weekly "newsletters" in electronic or print format. The authors collected data using a standardized online 42-item survey. They found that an Internet-based binge drinking prevention intervention for college students was feasible. Results supported the efficacy of this intervention for those students already binge drinking, regardless of delivery mode. The authors found no significant differences on outcome measures when delivered via the Internet or postal mail. Results lend support to the use of the Internet as a viable alternative to more traditional health intervention delivery methods.     

Is there a third way? a comparative analysis of how the law treats workers in the nonprofit,private-for-profit,and public sectors

We know that personnel are often the nonprofit's greatest resource as well as its major cost. We know too that how well that resource is managed is the key to the organization's success; but, how much do we know about how to manage personnel in the third sector? Is there a “third way”—distinguishable from human resource management in the private-for-profit sector and different from personnel management in the public sector?