ABSTRACT
The concept of transnationalism, described as an integral part of the globalization process, is becoming increasingly popular in the social and political sciences (Glick Schiller et al. 1995; Guarnizo and Smith 1998; Portes et al. 1999). Originally coined in international economics to describe flows of capital, goods and labour across national borders in the second half of the twentieth century, this concept was later applied to the study of migrations and ethnic diasporas. The lens of transnationalism became increasingly useful for exploring such issues as immigrant economic integration, identity, citizenship and cultural retention.
