The Greek and Jewish diasporas are the most significant diasporas of Western civilisation. "Homelands and Diasporas" is the first book to explore the similarities and differences between these two experiences. In the process it sheds fascinating light on their fundamental importance for both Greek and Jewish societies. The authors examine Greek and Jewish diasporas throughout history, from classical and Biblical times to the present, and all over the world - in Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, Russia, the Near and Middle East, Spain and the US. They analyse the very nature of diaspora, examining both the Greek concept of noble expansion and the Jewish idea of enforced exile, and analyse community structures as well as social and religious networks, combining Scriptural analysis with cultural and political history. Diaspora is a difficult and emotive concept but "Homelands and Diasporas" offers a balanced and perceptive guide to the connected histories of these two peoples away from their homelands.

Minna Rozen is Professor of History at Haifa University. A distinguished scholar who has also taught in the US and France, she has conducted research projects in Turkey, Romania, Russia, the Ukraine, France, Italy and England. Her previous publications include A History of the Jewish Community in Istanbul: The Formative Years 1453-1566, Haskoy Cemetery: Typology of Stones and The last Ottoman Century and Beyond: The Jews in Turkey and the Balkans 1808-1945.