This volume presents original research from the 4th MESEA conference, "Ethnic Communities in Democratic Societies," held in May 2004 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The title, "Transcultural Localisms," reflects the common theme across the sixteen essays: in the twenty-first century, cultural, capital, and labor flows cannot suppress local resistances that challenge global dynamics. Today's global culture is not all-encompassing; instead, it invites challenges and is in constant flux. Local resistances selectively appropriate elements from global culture to aid their cultural, economic, and political survival. The essays emphasize the local's potential to contest rather than conform, creating opportunities for alternative discourses against institutional control. The collection is divided into five sections: I. Anti-Essentialist Configurations, featuring essays on transcontinental writing and global poetry. II. Western Political Unilateralism and Local History, exploring themes of place and identity in poetry and narrative. III. Auto-ethnography and Self-invention, discussing identity in literature and the mobilization of stories. IV. Cultural Incommensurability and Hybridity, addressing transnational identities and the negotiation of ethnic identity. V. The Challenges of Ethnic Incorporation, examining historiography and identity construction in various ethnic contexts. The volume showcases diverse perspectives on the inte
