Typologies of Diaspora Communities
One of the main criteria for identifying subtypes of diaspora communities is the nature and timing of the emigration itself. Thus, a distinction is made between ‘old’ and ‘new’ diasporas, formed by emigration waves occurring at different times (for example, before and after the Second World War, respectively). Additionally, a distinction is made between diasporas formed by voluntary or economic migration on the one hand, and by forced or political migration on the other. Apart from migratory origin, another pattern in diaspora typologies reflects the manner of their social integration, i.e., the quality of the relationship between diaspora communities and the society surrounding them. A milestone in the scientific foundation of this topic is John A. Armstrong’s distinction between ‘proletarian diaspora’ (i.e., communities of migratory origin that live in a marginal and disadvantaged position on the periphery of their new home) and ‘mobilized diaspora’ (those who have achieved a distinguished social status for themselves, thus enabling them to mobilize the economy or even the foreign relations of the host state). With the disciplinary development of diaspora studies, several similar typologies have also emerged. To mention just a few: Robin Cohen’s five-component typology (victim, labour, imperial, trade, and deterritorialized diaspora types), Milton J. Esman’s three-component typology (settler, labour, and entrepreneurial diaspora types), and Michael Bruneau’s four-component typology (religious, political, cultural, and entrepreneurial diaspora types).