1) Bibliographic data
Vertovec, Steven (1999) “Conceiving and Researching Transnationalism.” Ethnic and Racial Studies v. 22 no. 2 Mar:447-62.

2) Question(s) addressed by the author and working arguments
The paper seeks to explore the repertoire of ideas and approaches most concurrent when talking about transnationalism. The meaning of transnationalism has been variously grounded upon arguably distinct conceptual premises, of which six merit closer scrutiny : transnationalism as social morphology, transnationalism as a type of consciousness, transnationalism as a mode of cultural reproduction, transnationalism as an avenue of capital, transnationalism as a site of political engagement, transnationalism as a reconstruction of place or locality.
In 1997 the Economic and Social Research Council of Great Britain (ESCR) launched a L3.8 million research programme on the subject of transnational communities. The projects part of this program are grouped under four themes: 1.- NEW APPROACHES TO MIGRATION – Comparative Diasporas, Transversal Migration, Refugees an Asylum Seekers. 2.-ECONOMICS- Global Economic Network, Transnational Corporations, Transnational Household Strategies 3.-POLITICS-Global Political Networks; City, Region, National and Supra – National Policies; Gender, Communities and Power 4.- SOCIETY AND CULTURE-Social Forms and Institutions, Cultural Reproduction and Consumption, Transnational Religious Communities

3) Conceptual references to transnational – transnationalism
Most social scientist working in the field may agree that “transnationalism” broadly refers to multiple ties and interactions linking people across the borders of nation – states. Transnationalism describes a condition in which despite distances and the presence of international borders, certain kinds of relations have globally intensified and now take place paradoxically in a planet – spanning yet common . however virtual—arena of activity.

4) Conclusions or Final Remarks
“Transnationalism” provides an umbrella concept for some of the most globally transformative processes and developments of our time Alejandro Portes (1998) points out : “The concept may actually perform double duty as part of the theoretical arsenal with which we approach the world systems structures”. The ESRC Transnational Communities Programme will add significant data and analyses to test some of transnationalism’s more speculative conceptualizations.