Galaxies experiencing intense star-formation episodes are expected to be rich in energetic cosmic rays (CRs). These CRs undergo hadronic interactions with the interstellar gases of their host to drive $gamma$-ray emission, which has already been detected from several nearby starbursts. Unresolved $gamma$-ray emission from more distant star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is expected to contribute to the extra-galactic $gamma$-ray background (EGB). However, despite the wealth of high-quality all-sky data from the Fermi-LAT $gamma$-ray space telescope collected over more than a decade of operation, the exact contribution of such SFGs to the EGB remains unsettled. We investigate the high-energy $gamma$-ray emission from SFGs up to redshift $z=3$ above a GeV, and assess the contribution they can make to the EGB. We show the $gamma$-ray emission spectrum from a SFG population can be determined from just a small number of key parameters, from which we model a range of possible EGB realisations. We demonstrate that populations of SFGs leave anisotropic signatures in the EGB, and that these can be accessed using the spatial power spectrum. Moreover, we show that such signatures will be accessible with ongoing operation of current $gamma$-ray instruments, and detection prospects will be greatly improved by the next generation of $gamma$-ray observatories, in particular the Cherenkov Telescope Array.
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