Diaspora Mobilization Research Articles

Communication Networks and the Transnational Spread of Ethnic Conflict

How the interconnectedness of the global system influences the network of ethnic conflict communication is the focus of this work. The study aims at understanding how the analyses of ethnic conflicts gather momentum and spread throughout the world through the review of literature, case studies, and media coverage, social media issues, and deliberate disinformation campaigns. The study employs a qualitative approach, drawing on secondary sources and theoretical frameworks to explore hypotheses that talk about how media coverage is rising in proportion to the ethnic conflict’s transnational diffusion, how social media usage is connected with diaspora mobilisation and conflict extension, and how the purposeful spread of fake news increases the intensity and geographical scope of the conflict. The Rohingya crisis is also one of the best examples of the shifts in communication networks and their impact on the ethnic conflicts by influencing the international community’s perception and response. Communications networks may have the potential to escalate conflict and ‘spread’ wrong information, but they also have the potential to create awareness and tackle conflict. In the light of these observations, the study offers recommendations in the areas of codes of ethical media practices, regulation of use of social media, especially in multi-ethnic societies, to prevent incitement, and techniques of combating disinformation.

Book Review of Schøtt, Anne Sofie 2021. Kurdish Diaspora Mobilisation in Denmark: Supporting the Struggle in Syria. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 259 pp.

Book Review of Schøtt, Anne Sofie 2021. Kurdish Diaspora Mobilisation in Denmark: Supporting the Struggle in Syria. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 259 pp.

Youth responses to state-manufactured diaspora mobilization: Turkey’s diaspora governance and the politics of selective engagement

ABSTRACT Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has implemented transnational policies to strengthen ties among diaspora youth in Europe with Turkey. However, these policies have been highly selective and geared towards regime-loyal groups in the diaspora. This article focuses on the group-level dynamics of AKP’s transnational youth outreach and examines the responses of dissident youth in the diaspora to these policies. We argue that there is significant variation in how AKP’s youth outreach strategies are received by diaspora youth and that the AKP’s state-sponsored intervention in diasporic spaces not only transforms loyalist diaspora organizations, but also affects the identification and mobilization dynamics of dissident groups.

Forged in the fires of war: the rise of a new Ukrainian identity

ABSTRACT Ukraine has always been a plural state comprised of multiple ethnic, linguistic, religious, and regional subcultures. Yet, since 2014 and, in particular, since February 2022, these often-competing identities have been codified under a more overarching identity. The forging of unified plural Ukrainian identity as concept has arisen out of a mutual struggle for survival, international diaspora mobilization, the elevation of diverse narratives of experience from across Ukraine, and a connected digital environment that links and reinforces concepts of social capital. Rooted in theories of constructivist identity formation, this analysis examines those attributes of Ukraine and Ukrainian society which have been fused together under great pressure to create a new and perhaps more unified national identity. Leveraging cases examining discourses on identity and the production of shared socio-cultural artifacts and quantitative data from both public opinion surveys and large-scale social media sentiment, this analysis finds that Ukraine, often thought of in the West as fractured along multiple lines, is, in fact unifying behind a common national idea. This unification and the creation of a new national identity have profound implications for post-war Ukraine.

Diaspora Mobilization and Identity Construction of Ukrainian Immigrants in Turkey: “Ukrainians Started to Become More Ukrainian”

Abstract The article analyzes the role of Ukrainian associations on construction of immigrant identity in Turkey at the intersection of diaspora politics and diaspora-lived experiences. Ukrainian immigrant associations – whose numbers and members rapidly increased after Russia’s annexation of Crimea – became critical players in immigrants’ ethno-national identity construction. This aligned with the Ukrainian government’s changing diaspora policy and shaped immigrants’ relationship with the homeland. The associations, therefore, facilitated diaspora activism from above and below. These associations are mainly engaged in activities related to the teaching of Ukrainian language, history, and culture so that immigrants can distinguish themselves from Russians and discover their own uniqueness. They also consider the migrant status of Ukrainians in Turkey and develop an awareness of ethno-national identity by negotiating transnational identities.

Long-distance nationalism, diaspora mobilisation, and the struggle for Biafran self-determination in Nigeria

Existing works on the sources of secessionist agitations in postcolonial Africa tend to be methodologically nationalist but also circumvent the diasporic dimension. Particularly, the resurgent ethnic separatism amongst Igbos in southeastern Nigeria has been predominantly analysed from the theoretical standpoints of relative marginalisation and material deprivation that focus on domestic politics in post-war Nigeria. We broaden this literature by underscoring the diasporic dimension of this secessionist conflict. Drawing on the literature on diaspora nationalism with a focus on the case of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—a transnational separatist movement—we reveal evidence showing how the Igbo diaspora instigate and exacerbate separatist tensions in the homeland by reviving collective memories of the macabre Nigeria-Biafra war (1967–1970) and reimagining alternative political futures for ethnic Igbos devoid of the state’s grand narratives of nationhood. We contend that the diasporic dimension is profoundly critical to comprehending separatist agitations in southeastern Nigeria with implications for wider postcolonial African contexts.

Pathways to Conflict Transportation and Autonomisation: The Armenian Diaspora and the Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

ABSTRACT Since its inception the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has generated multiple narratives in the region itself, in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and in the concerned diasporas. The war that occurred in 2020 engendered high levels of diasporic mobilisation, but interestingly the discourses of Armenian diaspora activists largely differed from those of Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh. Drawing from theories of conflict transportation and autonomisation in diaspora settings, this contribution explores Armenian diaspora mobilisation in the USA, France and Russia, and argues that diverging narratives and positionalities in diasporic spaces, as compared to home countries, explain the (re)shaping of homeland conflict dynamics in diaspora settings.

Mixed Methods in an Evolving Research Program on Diaspora Entrepreneurs and Their Mobilizations

Scholarship at the intersection of migration studies and international relations has been increasingly interested in diasporas in world politics, yet analysis integrating relevant literature in systematic ways through rigorous empirical methods has been largely missing. How can mixed-methods techniques contribute to the evolution of a relatively new research program, such as the study of diaspora mobilizations in conflict processes? How can these techniques identify data patterns that could help establish meaningful analytical categories and factor in multi-sited complexity? Based on a large-scale European Research Council migration project "Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty," this Research Note offers a pathway for future scholarship on how to systematically do so. It presents a rich theoretically informed coding procedure that systematizes the analysis of four researchers working across conflict-generated diasporas in multiple host-countries and linked to conflicts in multiple countries of origin. Correspondence and cluster analyses are used to isolate profiles of diaspora entrepreneurs. Procedures used early in the project's life-cycle helped later to design a unique survey and inform a deeper comparative causal analysis, thus creating a coherent conversation among different research products.

“My guitar is my rifle”: Mexican migrants mobilising unconventionally through arts

Diasporas can create, transform, and exploit transnational networks to engage in political movements in their homeland and in their hostland, engaging in both electoral and non-electoral politics through political parties, political campaigns, and hometown organisations. However, the individual processes of subjectivation and its relationship with arts as a form of political engagement have been under-explored especially in contexts of violence and insecurity. This ethnographic paper sheds light on the micro-level of diaspora mobilisation by introducing the concept of “subjectivity” as a key term to analyse the transnational and unconventional political practices organised by migrants. As a result, this research aims to answer the following questions: (1) How are Mexican migrants becoming diasporic political subjects and creating spaces of transnational political activism in reaction to the context of violence in their homeland? (2) What makes them resort to art as a repertoire of contention against violence in their home towns? The paper introduces empirical examples collected in Brussels during 19 months of fieldwork with members of the Mexican diaspora, including semi-structured interviews with key informants and participant observation at political demonstrations, music rehearsals, charity concerts, gastronomic and artistic festivals, and political debates.

Digitized diaspora governance during the COVID-19 pandemic: China's diaspora mobilization and Chinese migrant responses in Italy.

We explore how the Chinese diaspora state during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 managed to transform a severe health crisis into a geo‐political opportunity for transnational nation‐building through diaspora governance based on extensive use of social media technologies. By adopting a multi‐scalar perspective, we analyse the intertwined nature of top‐down and bottom‐up processes of the Chinese Party‐state's diaspora mobilization. Based on discourse and ethnographic analysis, we argue that China's diaspora governance exposed a new and strong capacity for extra‐territorial governance. We explore how discursive hegemony, social control and diaspora mobilization were achieved by widely employing the Chinese social media application, WeChat. We also contend that this was facilitated by the Italian government's and media's pro‐China attitudes to emphasize the importance of considering transnational embeddedness when studying the implementation and impact of interactive online technology for diaspora governance in an illiberal political context.

Diasporas as cyberwarriors: infopolitics, participatory warfare and the 2020 Karabakh war

Abstract How do diasporas fight online information wars during armed conflicts in their homelands? I explore this question through interviews with 30 young diaspora Armenians in seven nations about their practical experiences of online activism during the 2020 Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I examine their motivations for engaging in social media activism; strategies and methods of promoting the Armenian narrative; vision of the online opponent; and perceived outcomes of their efforts. Besides investigating this recent case of diaspora mobilization during armed conflict, the study offers broader conclusions about social media and participatory warfare, and about the changing roles of diasporas in international relations. I demonstrate how social media enable participatory war that is transnational, monologic, empowering and retaliatory, involving individual and networked tactics, and culturally and politically transformative. Diasporas, traditionally seen as international agents of lobbying, public diplomacy and material assistance, become important decentralized actors in global conflict infopolitics.

“Everything is Connected to the Genocide.” Intergenerational Memory, Diaspora Mobilization, and Armenian Youth Identities in Jerusalem

Considering commemorative practices of postmemory, past presencing, and transnational memory, this study considers how Genocide memories and the conflict in Artsakh intersect to shape the performance of diasporic Armenian youth identities in Jerusalem as members of a disempowered minority community. Drawing on ethnographic research in Jerusalem’s Armenian School, participant-observation in community events, and interviews with youth and community leaders, this article documents processes of intergenerational memory transmission within educational and community settings and suggests ways in which inherited narratives of victimization find new expressions via transnational acts of citizenship. As Jerusalem’s multilingual Armenian youth engage in commemorative ceremonies and take protests to the streets in acts of diaspora mobilization, memories are (re) interpreted to construct novel identity narratives tied to an imagined Armenian transnation.

Proactive internationalization and diaspora mobilization in a networked movement: the case of Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Bill protests

ABSTRACT One distinctive feature of the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in Hong Kong is the ‘international front’ on which both Hong-Kong-based activists and members of diaspora communities engaged in public diplomacy and foreign government lobbying. While the emergence of the international front can partly be explained by perceived political opportunities and protesters’ identity change, this article focuses on the evolution of mobilizing structures. Of particular interest is how the mobilizing structures were activated, expanded, and transformed in a protest campaign marked by certain core features of networked social movements. Based on in-depth interviews with twenty activists, the analysis illustrates the co-presence of and complementarity between digitally enabled, citizen self-initiated actions and organization-based mobilization. The analysis also shows how tactical shifts, negotiation of differences among activists, and state response drove the transformation of activist network. General theoretical implications on understanding of diaspora mobilization and networked social movements are discussed.

Syrian diaspora mobilization for prospective transitional justice in the absence of transition

Mobilization for transitional justice typically “deals with the past,” focusing on retrospective attempts to deal with injustices. Little attention has been afforded to such mobilization when prospects for transition and justice are remote. The Syrian diaspora persistently mobilizes for what we call prospective transitional justice despite unfavorable circumstances. This article asks why. First, they have a sense of moral obligation to do so. Second, framing claims in terms of transitional justice and human rights is perceived as the best strategy to transform Syrian society. Third, transitional justice discourse is an avenue through which diaspora organizations secure institutional survival.

Syrian Diaspora Mobilization for Prospective Transitional Justice in the Absence of Transition

Syrian Diaspora Mobilization for Prospective Transitional Justice in the Absence of Transition

“If you become a slave here, do you think they’re going to fight there?” Tamil Diaspora Mobilizations and Host-country Politics

Tamil diaspora political mobilization against the Sri Lankan government shows that, contrary to a commonly held view, migrants’ transnational political engagement can be a vector, rather than an obstacle, to their political inclusion in their country of settlement. But the articulation of a homeland-oriented struggle with the broader political participation of migrants has been a highly contentious issue in the diasporic political field, some activists seeing in these dynamics a risk of co-optation and dilution of the Tamil cause. While LTTE diasporic associations promoted a form of political inclusion which did not challenge the primacy of the Tamil cause, independent diasporic groups incorporated external ideological influences in their conception of the Tamil struggle and merged their homeland-oriented activism with a broader engagement in host-country politics. The case of Tamil diaspora politics shows that the modalities of incorporation of diaspora activists into host-country politics can be a major stake for them, leading to thorough reflections about their role as migrant political actors, to deep disagreements between various poles of a diasporic field, and to diverse pathways of insertion in the host-country political arena.

Towards a theory of diaspora formation through conflict deterritorialization

AbstractBuilding on different cases of conflicts in homelands triggering diaspora mobilization, we develop a theory of diaspora formation through processes of conflict deterritorialization. We argue that an armed conflict in the country of origin can trigger specific processes of diaspora formation in the countries of settlement and in the transnational space, depending on the actors involved and the particular context in both the home and host countries. We suggest that this specific non‐linear process of diaspora formation can happen at the individual and collective levels, and can both turn a migrant into a diasporic individual as well as mobilize diasporic individuals for collective action. This mobilization, we argue, builds on narratives about and from the homeland, the country of residence, and the transnational space, and can, in turn, lead to conflict autonomization in diaspora settings.

Situating ‘migration as adaptation’ discourse and appraising its relevance to Senegal’s development sector

Academic and policy domains are increasingly constructing ‘migration as adaptation’ as a policy ideal against alarmist, security-oriented approaches to the climate-migration nexus. However, our knowledge of how development actors in national contexts view and use migration as adaptation in practice remains limited. Based on 90 interviews with development stakeholders, this paper demonstrates the limited reach of the migration as adaptation policy ideal in Senegal’s development sector. It is considered too vague a concept to operationalise and is in tension with the wider discursive context on migration and development, marked by sedentary bias which requires ‘addressing the root causes of migration’, including environmental change, to ‘fix populations in place’. A dominant discourse accommodates sedentary bias. It allows for a narrow application of migration as adaptation through ‘return migration’ and ‘diaspora mobilisation’ projects. These target only existing migrants, avoiding new mobility solutions. A minority counter-discourse rejects sedentary bias, emphasising freedom of movement.

The Ukrainian (post)revolutionary processes:: diaspora mobilisations in the United Kingdom and Poland

This paper explores the Ukrainian diaspora mobilisation in the UK and Poland in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Russian aggression from the end of 2013. It examines the two referred case studies of the Ukrainian diaspora and focusses specifically on the interaction between the mobilisations of old and new diasporas, the formation of new Ukrainian “diasporic communities”, and the diaspora contribution to homeland development. The literature on social movements shows that transnational diasporic mobilisations in the UK and Poland may be seen as “extensions” of the Euromaidan social movement in Ukraine. The empirical data shows that the Ukrainian diasporic communities in both countries have united and grown stronger due to the events in Ukraine. The communities have been engaged in development activities of different forms contributing with their resources and skills to bring about social, economic, and political support in their homeland. Moreover, diasporic communities in both countries claim to be recognised by the national government as important actors. The article concludes that the Ukrainian diaspora has the desire, motive, opportunity and means to engage in transnational activities, at least for the time being, which makes it an active diaspora.

Navigating labels, seeking recognition for victimhood: Diaspora activism after mass‐atrocities

AbstractThis article analyses diaspora mobilization for transitional justice as efforts to gain recognition for victim‐based identities. Building on research among diaspora groups from Rwanda and Sri Lanka in North America and Europe, the article investigates how diaspora actors in their quest for victimhood recognition navigate, make use of and challenge labels such as “victim”, “perpetrator”, “genocide”, “survivor” and “terrorist”. The article uses Jacoby's theory of victimhood to draw attention to the diasporic space as particularly conducive for recognition struggles, and discuss the different stages through which victim‐based identities are constructed. The empirical examples reveal how serveral competing and interrelated processes towards victimhood recognition are simultaneously at work, and how diaspora actors both refute and creatively make use of categories that assign blame or signal victimhood and resilience.