The Global Diasporas Program seeks to explore the transnational networks of diaspora communities through
examination of their multifaceted identities across linguistic and cultural spaces. It is the goal of this program to engage
with students, faculty, and scholarly groups from different academic training and backgrounds from around the world.

Working in partnership with academic programs at the University of Illinois, we seek to introduce new foundational courses and methods that will examine diaspora literature, history, language, intersectionality, mass communication, cross-border linkages, diaspora formation, and their ambiguous relationships with societies where they reside, as well as their linkages with home countries, regions, and other transnational groups.

With increased migration and mass displacement due to political, economic, and socio-cultural challenges now increasingly resulting from climate change, our program strives to create a platform for discussions that are inclusive of diaspora communities, scientists, non-governmental organizations, archives, publishers, and libraries. Through these exchanges, we aim to raise awareness of new conceptual frameworks and discourses that amplify diaspora studies at the University of Illinois.

We affirm that the study of diasporas should include strong collections of published and unpublished sources for scholarly inquiry. With this need in mind, the project team will engage with archives and libraries to collect and curate unique materials from around the world and make them accessible to scholarly groups. Moreover, the Global Diasporas Program will host a digital archive of materials held at the University of Illinois Library to support teaching and learning.

To further strengthen diaspora studies, we are hosting a diaspora language program that complements existing courses offered at the University of Illinois. The proposed languages for this program are Uyghur, Armenian, Dari, Pashto, Korean, and Yiddish.

We are seeking partnerships and funding support from academic units, centers, and grant funding agencies. Students, faculty, and early career scholars are strongly encouraged to join our program.