The first introduction to the field of Diaspora criticism that serves both as a timely guide and a rigorous critique. Diaspora criticism takes the concept 'diaspora' as its object of inquiry and provides a framework for discussing displaced communities in a way that takes contemporary social, cultural and economic pressures into account. It also offers an alternative to Postcolonial Studies. This book is the first to provide an accessible overview of the critical trends in Diaspora criticism and to critically evaluate the major Diaspora critics and their models, with the aim of adding to the debate on methodology.