British and Irish Diasporas: Societies, Cultures and Ideologies, ed. Donald M. MacRaild, Tanja Bueltmann and J.C.D. Clark

Abstract

This collection of articles joins a long list of publications about the histories of Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh migrations and the communities that were their result. Where this book endeavours to be different is in its focus on the concept of diasporas, with the organising questions behind the collection being: did Irish and British migrations create diasporas, and, if so, how might this information affect our understandings of Ireland and Britain’s migration histories, as well as the diaspora concept itself? Because it is not possible to do justice to the carefully researched, thoughtful individual studies that make up this collection in a short book review, the discussion that follows will focus upon these overarching questions. As various authors in this collection note, and as J.C.D. Clark usefully elaborates in the first article, diaspora studies originated in explorations of the history of Jewish migrations. That origin has continued to inform...