This book brings together new research that engages with the concept of diaspora from a uniquely Australian perspective and provides a timely contribution to the development of research-informed policy, both in the Australian context and more broadly.

1. Introduction – Louise Olliff (University of Melbourne) and Melissa Phillips (Western Sydney University).- 2. Policy responses to diasporas: the case of Australia - Melissa Phillips (Western Sydney University).- 3. Bosnian digital diaspora in Australia: recreating places in real and cyber spaces - Hariz Halilovich (RMIT University).- 4.The politics of diaspora: Africans in Australia - Farida Fozdar, David Mickler, Sarah Prout Quicke, Mary Setrana, Muhammad dan Suleiman and Dominic Dabganjan (University of Western Australia).- 5.Doing peace through inter-ethnic harmony: The South Sudanese and Sri Lankan diasporas in Australia - Denise Cauchi and Jennifer Balint (University of Melbourne).- 6.South Sudanese-Australian transnational kinship during conflict and economic crisis - Sara Maher (Monash University), Santino Atem Deng, Freddie Carver and Nicki Kindersley (Rift Valley Institute).- 7.Fromresettled refugee to humanitarian actor: Australia’s Humanitarian Program and the   (trans)formation of diaspora networks of care - Louise Olliff  (University of Melbourne).- 8.The role of Diaspora in Pacific Disaster Recovery: A Case Study of Samoa - Karen Medica (Monash University).- 9.The missing piece of ‘diaspora in development’- the local perspectives - Jeevika Vivekananthan (Deakin University).- 10. Diaspora humanitarianism: Pacific diaspora in humanitarian response to disasters in Pacific Island countries - Jeevika Vivekananthan and Phil Connors (Deakin University).- 11.Interrogating Diaspora and Cross-Border Politics in Eastern European Migration to Australia - Olga Oleinikova (University of Technology, Sydney).

This book brings together new research that engages with the concept of diaspora from a uniquely Australian perspective and provides a timely contribution to the development of research-informed policy, both in the Australian context and more broadly. It builds on the understanding of the complex drivers and domains of diaspora transnationalism and its implications for countries and people striving to develop human capabilities in a globally interconnected but also fractured world. The chapters showcase a wide range of diaspora experiences from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. This work demonstrates the usefulness of diaspora as a concept to explore the experiences of migrant and refugee communities in Australia and the Pacific and further understanding on the peacebuilding, conflict, economic, humanitarian and political engagements of diaspora communities globally. The insights and findings from the breadth of research featured shed light on broader debates about diasporas, migration and development, and transnationalism.Melissa Phillips is a lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University, Australia. Her research focuses on migration, diaspora, migrant and refugee settlement, and multiculturalism. Melissa has a background in working for international NGOs in East Africa and the Middle East/North Africa on migration programs.Louise Olliff works as a senior policy advisor for the Refugee Council of Australia and is an adjunct fellow with Western Sydney University’s Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI). Her research and work in policy advocacy focuses on how the knowledge and networks borne of lived experience of forced displacement can be drivers of transformative change.

A recipient of large-scale immigration for two centuries, Australia is now a major node in many global diasporas. We often hear their stories of settlement and becoming Australian, while their transnational identities and activities remain out of the frame. Not any longer. In this fascinating collection, Phillips and Olliff draw together a who’s who of researchers in Australian diaspora studies, to refocus our attention on the cross-border connections, involvements and contributions of Australia’s many diasporas. It is a must read for those interested not just in Australian migration studies, but in the field more broadly.—Alan Gamlen, Professor, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University

Explores scholarly questions of diaspora mobilization and transnationalism from an Australia and Pacific perspective Brings together inter-disciplinary scholarship that highlights the diversity and complexity of diaspora mobilization Sheds light on broader debates about diasporas, migration and development, and transnationalism