Donna Rae Gabaccia (born 1949) is an American historian who studies international migration, with an emphasis on cultural exchange, such as food and from a gendered perspective.
By bringing together specialists with global expertise on a variety of locations, the network was able to evaluate the cross-cultural contribution to nation building and identity.
Gabaccia added depth to the understanding of migration, by showing that it was not a single national story; that destinations were not always finite but often immigrants moved back and forth between locations; and that assimilation was much more complex than a one-directional transfer of culture.
[12] These works refuted the notion of transnationists, who believed that global migration was a contemporary 20th century phenomena, characterized by the utilization of technology to quickly assimilate but retain ties to their traditional homelands, which created a climate of dual allegiance that would ultimately undermine national socio-political organization.
Gabaccia argued that the study of earlier migrations, not only showed that globalization was not a new phenomenon but that it was unclear whether it was either a permanent shift in cultural practices, sustainable over time, or whether it would lead to the demise of the nation-state.
She pointed to the development of diaspora populations of earlier times of internationalism and cosmopolitanism, questioning whether transnationalism was an ideological belief held by migrants, or whether it had any permanency based on historical precedent.
She particularly focused on the history of women migrants and statistical analysis to bring deeper understanding to the gendered experiences of the past, including changing sexual standards.