In celebration of 30 years of publication, the Zoryan Institute and the University of Toronto Press are pleased to announce the relaunch of Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies.

The establishment of Diaspora by the Zoryan Institute in 1991 was a seminal moment in marking what has become the field of Diaspora Studies. With borders and national identities becoming increasingly fluid, the journal began as an expanding project with roots in historic Jewish, Armenian, and Greek diasporas, growing to include and embrace transnational formations and phenomena challenging the established models for the study of nation-states, societies and cultures.

Mr. Greg Sarkissian, the President and one of the Founders of the Zoryan Institute, remarks, “With global society becoming more transnational, diasporas are continuing to grow, and the experience of migrants and their communities, their sense of identity and relationship to homeland is becoming more and more diverse and unique to their circumstances.” He underscores the rising importance of the field, suggesting that “… the study of this phenomenon has become even more prominent as diasporic communities have evolved to substantially impact their homelands and host states on cultural, socio-economic and political levels. As a result, the study of diasporas has become increasingly pertinent to policymakers, scholars, and civil society.”

For more than 25 years, the journal has had a successful partnership with the University of Toronto Press (UTP), expanding the journal’s reach and position as a formative voice in the field. Diaspora’s relaunch is an embodiment of the editorial team and the UTP’s commitment to continuing to foster and shape Diaspora Studies discourse for years to come.

“We are thrilled to reach such an important milestone for Diaspora and to continue the important work of the many scholars who have contributed to the journal over the years,” says Antonia Pop, University of Toronto Press Journals Vice President. “We look forward to continuing to publish groundbreaking research in the important field of Diaspora Studies for many years to come.”

The journal was edited by Prof. Khachig Tölölyan of Wesleyan University since its inception in 1991. From 2020 onwards, it has been edited exclusively by Prof. Talar Chahinian of the University of California, Irvine, and Prof. Sossie Kasbarian of the University of Stirling.

“The Zoryan Institute and the journal Diaspora […] played an integral role in my intellectual formation during my graduate studies,” says Prof. Chahinian. “I look forward to seeing Diaspora continue pioneering the discourse of transnationalism as it evolves to encompass new global realities and new modes of thinking.”

Prof. Kasbarian shares Chahinian’s anticipation of the journal’s continued leadership in the field as she looks to the future: “I hope we continue to build and expand the intellectual conversations and communities that the journal has been leading for thirty years.”

For additional information, please contact the Zoryan Institute’s Deputy Executive Director, Megan Reid at [email protected] or University of Toronto Press Journals Vice President Antonia Pop at [email protected].

To subscribe, or for more information on how to submit an article to Diaspora, please visit  https://utpjournals.press/loi/diaspora։ 

Diaspora is sponsored, owned and operated by the Zoryan Institute.