The study of transnationalism: pitfalls and promise of an emergent research field

TLDR

Immigrant political and economic transnationalism has historically existed. The article defines transnationalism, offers a typology of its heterogeneous activities, reviews pitfalls in establishing the field, and presents guidelines to orient research. The authors review prominent examples, develop the typology, and propose guidelines that highlight distinct features of contemporary transnational activities across borders. The Special Issue summarizes current understandings of transnationalism and its practical implications.

Abstract

This introductory article defines the concept of transnationalism, provides a typology of this heterogeneous set of activities, and reviews some of the pitfalls in establishing and validating the topic as a novel research field. A set of guidelines to orient research in this field is presented and justified. Instances of immigrant political and economic transnationalism have existed in the past. We review some of the most prominent examples, but point to the distinct features that make the contemporary emergence of these activities across multiple national borders worthy of attention. The contents of this Special Issue and their bearing on the present understanding of this phenomenon and its practical implications are summarized.