What is a trade diaspora?

Question

Okay, so I'm reading 'The World That Trade Created' and it keeps talking about 'trade diasporas'.

I don't understand what it's talking about, and when I look it up in the dictionary, it doesn't give me the answer I'm looking for.

Can someone please help me understand?

Answer 1

The term DIASPORA refers to the forced or voluntary dispersal of any population sharing common ethnic identity to leave their settled territory, and become residents in areas often far removed from the former.  Throughout history, there have been many DIASPORAS that have resulted from a variety of events or circumstances.  If the motivation for the dispersal of some ethnic population was triggered by economics, then there might be some justification for classifying the situation as a TRADE DIASPORA.  An example of economic conditions leading to large populations being relocated might be the Irish potato famine that brought large numbers of Irish immigrants to this country.  Or, when the railroads were being built, many Chinese people immigrated to the United States.

The term TRADE DIASPORA might also be used to refer to shifting of major industries from one country or another.  For example, the United States was the dominant manufacturer of automobiles for a long time until the Japanese claimed prominence.  The textile industry had a robust presence in the United States that has now been supplanted by 3rd world countries.

Whether TRADE DIASPORAS refers to the movement of people or industries, the basic concept is a large-scale, uprooting shift in location for one or the other.