Migration and diaspora in modern Asia /

In a well-crafted narrative, historian Amrith (Univ. of London) reveals how migration has ultimately shaped modern Asia. Although migration is a global phenomenon not limited to Asia, the author focuses on migration within Asia, as his purpose is to challenge current scholarship that limits its view of Asian migration as mainly westward. Amrith overturns this viewpoint, arguing that such scholarship overlooks inter-Asian migratory experiences. Especially within the past 150 years, migration within Asia and beyond has been greater than at any other time in history. Examining a vast geography that spans the Middle East to Japan, Amrith traces the history of modern migration against the emergence and dissolution of imperialism, the dislocation of war, and ultimately the rise of urbanization and the nation-state. Migration in Asia affected cultural change, as migrant connections brought new ideas, technologies, and lifestyles. Ultimately, migration resulted in circular networks across Asia, intricately linking the mobile with those who stayed behind. In retracing the roots of such migration, Amrith brings to the historiography of migration a valuable addition to its historical literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. A. Cho University of British Columbia