Diaspora, diaspora space and Polish women

There has been increasing interest in the concept of diaspora to examine et hnic identity. In this article, I explore its use in interviews with Polish women. I argue that, although it can be a valuable tool, it must be used w ith caution. It can be used to silence particular voices, to exclude those who choose to live lifestyles considered inappropriate to membership of an ethnic group. Moreover, whilst the concept can be used to break the determi nistic ties between particular places and ethnicity, researchers need to be aware of the dangers of neglecting the role that location can have. The ar ticle finishes with a call to develop concepts such as diaspora in tandem w ith a politics of emotion. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.