Pnina Werbner, Imagined Diasporas among Manchester Muslims: The Public Performance of Pakistani Transnational Identity Politics. Oxford: James Curry Publishers, 2002, 306 pp. In Queen's speech to British Parliament in November 2004, British Government made clear that an important focus for coming years is to be security, both domestic and international. Ethnic minorities, especially Muslim and Pakistani groups, have justifiably raised concerns about potential increases in discrimination against British Pakistanis and British Muslims. British-based anthropologists of Pakistan may find themselves at somewhat of a loss to allay concerns of either non-Muslim British public or Muslim British public, since gulf between diaspora and country of origin provides a bewildering array of misleading similarities and subtle differences. Werbner's 2002 publication of Imagined Disaporas among Manchester Muslims is consequently both a timely and valuable contribution to a public debate which touches on a great many people's private lives. Imagined Diasporas brings together both previously published and never before published works. As such, James Curry Publishers have done a service for simplifying access to past publications which have become hard to find, and in giving Werbner opportunity to re-state many of her earlier arguments in light of events of September 11th, 2001 and invasion of Afghanistan. Many of issues raised at time this book appeared remain pertinent to more recent events with elections in Afghanistan, renewed threats to President/General Musharraf's regime in Pakistan, and what can only be described as a vigorous desire on part of politicians in Britain and elsewhere to make War on Terror a reality at home. Werbner's arguments about hybridity and transnationality differ from more usual political science and international relations style discourse of popular media. Werbner persuasively articulates complexities of transnationality for Pakistani diaspora in ways which encourage a more holistic and sympathetic understanding of a population under pressure. Indeed Werbner's attempt to encompass internal diversity is at heart of this book. Werbner states that central point of book is that of social unities we evokeidentity, diaspora, community, nation, tradition-are consensus-based wholes; all are products of ongoing debates and political (18). It is hardly a novel concept in anthropology that is in fact an ongoing negotiated process; however, it challenges some influential representations of British Pakistanis offered by members of British Pakistani communities themselves, as well as others. It is, Werbner argues, in rejection of such debate that violence occurs both within British Pakistani communities and between British Pakistanis and others. Werbner makes important links to past points of conflict: notably, Rushdie affair of late 1980s, British Pakistani support of Saddam Hussein in first Gulf War, riots of northern cities in summer of 2001, and of course ongoing struggles among Manchester Muslims. Each major flashpoint may be understood as a watershed moment in relations between British Pakistanis and others, and between smaller factions and groups within British Pakistani community. Werbner's goal in untangling such flashpoints is clearly to demonstrate remarkable range of voices within British Pakistani community and how, at different times, different voices may emerge as the voice of British Pakistani community. In a sense, none of these voices provide a comprehensive picture of what it means to be a British Pakistani. So while large numbers of British Pakistanis openly supported Iraq in first Gulf War, this was at odds with official support of war by Pakistan government and of some British Pakistanis. These events cast a long shadow on representations of British Pakistanis and Muslims more generally. …