The Centre was established in the year 2011 with the objective to study and critically engage with issues of global migration and Diaspora from multi-disciplinary perspectives and produce quality research and knowledge for academia, government and society.
Diaspora Studies is a new interdisciplinary area that has emerged in Humanities and Social Sciences dealing with the study of migration and its cultural, literary, social, demographic, anthropology, political, economic impact and international relations. The Centre focuses on Indian Diaspora in particular and global Diasporas in general. According to MOIA recently released statistics near about 30 million Indian diaspora residing outside of India. The history of Indian migration goes back to ancient and pre-modern times though it has become a subject of study only in recent times. A sizeable body of literature now exists both in the forms of fiction and scholarly writings on the historical, anthropological, sociological, cultural, demographic, political and economic aspects. The overseas Indian community has significantly contributed to the Indian development and also has emerged as the 'soft power' promoting India's international relations as global ambassadors and contributing immensely to the social and intellectual capital of India. Diaspora Studies has opened up plethora of new research areas, which need to be studied and researched upon. The Centre with a multidisciplinary framework studies and addresses the mutual relations and converging contours of diaspora.
The Centre provides an excellent academic environment with a focus on participatory teaching and learning use of ICT in teaching, periodical revision and updating of syllabus, field work exposures for students etc. The Centre invites scholars and visiting professors from prominent universities in India and Abroad to deliver lectures on varied aspects of the subject, and it provides a platform for the students and faculties to learn the emergent issues in the subject. Students of the Centre are from different disciplinary backgrounds, religion and communities. The faculties members of the Centre have their background in Humanities and Social Sciences, and have specialization in migration and Diaspora.
The CSRD have five regular faculties and one contract faculty from different disciplines of Humanities and Social Sciences.Presently, there are 30 students pursuing their M.Phil./ Ph.D. in the Centre. The Centre has produced 33 dissertations on varied aspects of diaspora (32 awarded and 1 submitted).