Pakistani Diasporas

Book excerpt: When compared to studies of the Indian diaspora, or even in the wider framework of diaspora studies, there is relatively meagre research about the Pakistani diaspora. This collection is the first to bring together the extant literature and provide both a historical and contemporary set of accounts. It is primarily about the processes associated with migration and settlement as seen from the receiving end. Even though Roger Ballard and Junaid Rana offer accounts of Pakistan's political economy, it is only in Frances Watkins chapter that migrant voices within Pakistan themselves speak. Even in this chapter their life stories are focused on the impact of migration. Though, given the transnational frame in which many Pakistani diasporic communities live, it is not really possible to solely focus on the place of settlement. Indeed, the shift from migration studies to transnational or diaspora research reflects the empirical reality of a non-linear dynamics inherent in migratory movements. Historically the notion that people move and settle in a sequential and traceable manner has been rightly disputed and the circular nature of migratory movements has come to the fore. Even though the issues that are raised in the majority of the chapters are concerned with adaptation and change in new environments, these are always linked or referenced to a transnational frame.