ABSTRACT
Globalization associated with development in faster and cheaper transportation technology coincided with conducive immigration policies of various nation-states made it possible for migrants to move across in a transnational space. Apart from facilitating flexible human mobility another positive impact of this development was the homeland and diaspora connection and accessibility. The Asians in the diaspora have come a long way in adapting to the multicultural and multi-ethnic societies and hence it is obvious that the majority of origin countries today turn to their diasporas when they aim for any development project. This chapter maps the diaspora and development nexus from the Asian perspective. After discussing the emerging issues and challenges of diaspora and transnationalism, the chapter provides an outline of the contributions made in this volume under five broad divisions: namely Asian diasporas’ development potentials; connection and contribution to the homeland; dimensions of gender and generational identities; soft power and mobilization; and media, culture, and representation.
