Diaspora Organizations Research Articles

Passing on the torch of memory: Transitional justice and the transfer of diaspora identity across generations

Abstract∞ The role diaspora actors play in transitional justice (TJ) has recently been recognized by practitioners and scholars. This article focuses on how TJ initiatives, by re-emphasizing, retelling or silencing traumas of the past, can play an important role for the transfer of diaspora identity and homeland engagement across generations. Based on research on the diasporas from Rwanda and Sri Lanka, the article highlights the different positions made available for and taken up by young people in TJ, and the ways the past is evoked by the homeland state, diaspora organizations and people they meet in their day-to-day lives. TJ initiatives, the article argues, can serve as critical events that mobilize the young generation to support – or resist – narratives of the past, while also providing them with experiences that add to a postmemory of the painful past of their parents’ homeland.

Expo-1967 in Montreal: the Struggle for Ukrainian Sovereignty

The purpose of the article is to analyze the events surrounding the participation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the World Expo–1967 exhibition in Montreal and to identify the features of this process, such as the actions of diaspora organizations to attract the attention of the Canadian government and the international community to the political status of Ukraine within the Soviet Union. The publication proves that the youth movement of the Ukrainian diaspora is able to influence the course of important political events, one of which was the Montreal World Exhibition. It was used by the Kremlin as a component of preparations for the 50th anniversary of the October Bolshevik coup in Petrograd on November 7, 1917. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian diaspora was preparing to celebrate the anniversaries of the Ukrainian settlements in Canada, the Ukrainian National Revolution of 1917–1921, and the creation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The author concluded that the Ukrainian Canadian community drew the attention of the Canadian government and the international community to the political status of Ukraine within the Soviet Union and contributed to the consolidation of all Ukrainian world in the fight for human rights in Soviet Ukraine and its proper place in the international political and legal environment. Despite the strong involvement of the Soviet Union’s State Security Committee’s agent network, the activities of Ukrainian youth organizations in Canada in July–August 1967 brought a number of positive gains. In particular, it fostered a sense of patriotism, self–identification, and continuity in the traditions of national liberation struggle. At the same time, the nature of the events was driven by local characteristics, the size of the diaspora and its financial resources. In this context, the activities of Ukrainian youth organizations in Canada during Expo-1967 were a kind of impetus for the further struggle for freedom and independence of the native generations of the state – Ukraine.

Diasporic Civic Agency and Participation: Inclusive Policy-Making and Common Solutions in a Dutch Municipality

With a growing presence in The Hague municipality, the sub-Sahara African diasporas like other minority groups face challenges related to integration, participation, representation, and social exclusion. The majority still find difficulties with the Dutch language, with access to education, the labour market, and public services. These concerns also inform initiatives by the municipality in search of joint solutions through citizen participation with the African diasporas. Equally, African diasporas engage in formal and informal initiatives targeting decision-maker in The Hague, seeking to reverse their sense of vulnerability and social exclusion in the city. Using data gathered through ethnographic fieldwork in The Hague from 2015 to 2017, this article examines how African diaspora organisations have sought to exercise their civic agency and to influence policy-making to become more inclusive, by proposing common solutions and collective initiatives. The aim is to understand how diaspora collective initiatives are informed by notions of civic agency, and how prospects can be generated for diasporas to secure the ‘right to have rights’ and ensure that the host municipality addresses concerns related to the diasporas’ exclusion. The concept of civic agency is also used to analyse dynamics influencing diasporic activities, the broader context of diaspora engagement, and some likely socio-political outcomes. I argue that collective diasporic initiatives are broadly aimed at ensuring more inclusive policy-making and that solutions are an expression of diasporic people’s collective energy and imagination. These collective initiatives demonstrate the significance of enacted citizenship in challenging broader conditions of social and economic exclusion that the African diasporas face in host municipalities like The Hague.

Church and religious life of the Armenian Diaspora of Ukraine in the 1-st half of the 20th century

The purpose of the article. The aim of the work is the holistic coverage and analysis of the specifics of the church-religious life of the Armenian communities of different regions of Ukraine in the 1-st half of the 20th century. The research methodology includes the methods of comparative analysis and synthesis, as well as historicity and contextuality. The scientific novelty of the research consists in reproducing the overall picture of the church-religious life of the Armenian communities of Ukraine, taking into account the specifics of the historical development of various regions of the country as a result of being under the authority of various states. Conclusions. The church-religious life of the Armenian communities in the Ukrainian lands, unlike other forms of public life, continued to preserve the specific features inherent in the culture of the Armenian people. All other forms of diaspora organizations (national representations, cultural centers, etc.) were always associated with Armenian church centers, and where such forms were absent, it was the church that continued to perform the function of a spiritual and cultural ethnic-consolidating factor in the life of Armenian communities.

Attitudes of Polish Immigrants in the United States Towards Diaspora Organizations: A Comparative View

Abstract The aim of the paper is to describe the social participation of Poles living in the United States in Polish immigrant organizations, their opinions concerning the functioning of such organizations and their readiness to become involved in diaspora organizations along with explaining the crucial determinants of the above-mentioned social phenomena. The analysis is based on empirical data collected using an internet survey of Poles living in the USA and incorporates comparative analysis with selected European countries. The results of the empirical analysis will be discussed in the context of the outcomes of a conducted literature review.

Medical diaspora: an underused entity in low- and middle-income countries\u2019 health system development

BackgroundAt present, over 215 million people live outside their countries of birth, many of which are referred to as diaspora—those that live in host countries but maintain strong sentimental and material links with their countries of origin, their homelands. The critical shortage of Human Resources for Health (HRH) in many developing countries remains a barrier to attaining their health system goals. Usage of medical diaspora can be one way to meet this need. A growing number of policy-makers have come to acknowledge that medical diaspora can play a vital role in the development of their homeland’s health workforce capacity. To date, no inventory of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) medical diaspora organizations has been done. This paper intends to develop an inventory that is as complete as possible, of the names of the LMIC medical diaspora organizations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia and addresses their interests and roles in building the health system of their country of origin.MethodsThe researchers utilized six steps for their research methodology: (1) development of rationale for choosing the four destination countries (the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia); (2) identification of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); (3) web search for the name of LMIC medical diaspora organization in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia through the search engines of PubMed, Scopus, Google, Google Scholar, and LexisNexis; (4) development of inclusion and exclusion criteria and creation of a medical diaspora organizations’ inventory list (Table 1) and corresponding maps (Figures 1, 2, and 3). Using decision criteria, reviewers narrowed the number to a final 89 organizations; (5) synthesis of information to collect the general as well as the unique roles the medical diaspora organizations play in building health systems; and (6) developing inventory of respective LMIC governments’ diaspora offices (Table 2) to identify units/departments that facilitate diaspora’s work.ResultIn total, the authors found 89 medical diaspora organizations in 4 main countries: in the United States of America 60, in the United Kingdom 24, in Australia 3, and in Canada 2. These medical diaspora organizations tend to have three focuses: providing healthcare services, training, and when needed humanitarian aid to their home country; creating a social or professional network of migrant physicians (i.e., simply to bring together people with an ethnic and professional commonality) and; supplying improved and culturally sensitive healthcare to the migrant population within the host country. Sixty-eight LMIC countries have established a diaspora office within their government office. It is also equally important to note that many policy-makers may lack knowledge of models for medical diaspora engagement or of valuable lessons learned by other governments about working with diaspora.ConclusionsThe medical diaspora remains an underutilized resource in both health systems policy formulation and program implementation.

The Rise of Diasporas as Adversarial Non-State Actors in Public Diplomacy: The Turkish Case

Summary The profound changes in communication technology and dramatic increase in global migration have challenged the conventional dyadic conceptualization of ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ publics and increased the importance of diaspora publics. Using the four-quadrant model of public diplomacy and cascading activation model of framing, this article analyses the complex role of diasporas in the public diplomacy equation. To illustrate a public-centred and public-based public diplomacy initiative from a non-Western perspective, the article focuses on a Turkish diaspora organization’s attempts to control communication in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey. The analysis reveals how partner publics became adversarial diaspora and transformed into a non-state actor challenging the Turkish state’s legitimacy in the international arena. This case study sheds light on the dynamic transformations of non-Western publics from domestic partners into adversarial diasporas and it questions the dominant Western conceptions of static state-centred, state-initiated public diplomacy.

FOCAC: An Effective Platform for Collaboration

Modern Concepts & Developments in Agronomy FOCAC: An Effective Platform for Collaboration Dorathy Onyinye Achu* General Secretary for Nigerians in Diaspora Organization East China chapter, China *Corresponding author: Dorathy Onyinye Achu, Postgraduate student, Nanjing, China, and the General Secretary for Nigerians in Diaspora Organization East China chapter Submission: April 16, 2019Published: April 22, 2019 DOI: 10.31031/MCDA.2019.04.000580 ISSN 2637-7659Volume4 Issue1

Political, Legal and Institutional Aspects of the Policy of the Management of Diaspora in the Republic of Moldova

The article is devoted to the study of political, legal and institutional aspects of the policy of diaspora management in the Republic of Moldova. The authors consider that the Moldovan authorities are trying to develop a coherent state policy on the Diaspora through an integrated approach. This is reflected in the legislative and institutional framework of the state policy in the field of Diaspora. As the results of sociological research, Moldovan migrants do not actively participate in the activity of Diaspora organizations. The authors note that in order to develop an effective management policy Diaspora in the Republic of Moldova, the creation of institutions is necessary to ensure the preservation and development of the Diaspora; development of a strategy of interaction with state institutions as the country of residence, and the “title” of the state; development of legal acts on the Diaspora, as well as laws and policies on management of the diaspora processes. These measures will provide creation and strengthening of a stable platform for cooperation between the state and the Moldovan diaspora, the active participation of the diaspora in the economic and political life of the Republic of Moldova.

Assessing co-development projects for civil society building in Iraq: the case of the Iraqi diaspora and Swedish institutions following the 2003 intervention in Iraq

ABSTRACTWhile the literature has expounded diaspora’s involvement in homeland politics through lobbying efforts to influence hostland foreign policies, involvement in homeland conflicts and peace-building, this paper addresses a less-explored area in the diaspora literature related to the development of democracy through transnational civil society building. Using the case study of the Iraqi diaspora in Sweden, this paper assesses co-development projects financed by Sweden’s International Development Corporation Agency (SIDA) between Swedish institutional partners and Iraqi diaspora organizations from 2004 to 2008. Looking at both the perspective of the diaspora and public officials in Sweden, the paper problematizes the notion of diaspora as development partners and provides a nuanced understanding and new insights into the opportunities, challenges and limitations of diasporic initiatives aimed at supporting homeland civil society. Diaspora initiatives, it is argued, need to consider homeland security, understandings of development and goals, as well as homeland social and political contexts for exploring the opportunities and limitations of diasporic contributions. This is important for understanding both how and when diaspora’s involvement is to be supported, especially in conflict or post-conflict settings.

DURRES CONGRESS EXPRESSION OF ALBANIA'S POLITICAL MATURITY

DURRES CONGRESS EXPRESSION OF ALBANIA'S POLITICAL MATURITY

Forward, Polonia! A Review of Online Educational Initiatives for Polish Diaspora

This is an overview article. It presents examples of Internet support for Polish diaspora education, and the promotion of Poland and Polish culture through free access to Internet sources, including open educational resources and e- learning courses. The starting point of this review is therefore to understand the problems of the Polish diaspora and the need to develop an educational offer that takes into account educational and socio-cultural needs of Polish diaspora. The initiative undertaken may also be used to strengthen the activities of Polish scientific departments at foreign universities, schools, consultation centres, teachers, and Polish diaspora organisations that, with their hard work and personal commitment, care for Polish culture, tradition, language and national values abroad, while requiring support from the Polish government and educational institutions, as well as from academia.

Syrian diaspora mobilization: vertical coordination, patronage relations, and the challenges of fragmentation in the pursuit of transitional justice

ABSTRACTThe 2011 Syrian uprising saw the rise of several Syrian diaspora organizations seeking transitional justice (TJ). In this article, we ask why these organizations have been unable to present a coherent and unified TJ agenda. We show how a sequence of mechanisms (transnational brokerage, vertical coordination, and patronage relations) have led to fragmentation in the pursuit of justice. The analysis is divided into two sections. First, we discuss the onset of patronage relations made possible by brokered alliances and vertical coordination. Fuelled by differing conceptions of justice and confidence that the regime would quickly fall, organizations proliferated and fragmented. Second, we show how the entrenchment of patronage relations has largely precluded horizontal coordination, even as groups shifted strategy in the wake of changing conditions in Syria. We then argue that collaborative efforts among diaspora groups have largely failed to overcome the rigid patronage relations established early in the mobilization phase.

STRATEGIES OF DIASPORA ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF ADAPTATION OF CHILDREN FROM MIGRANT FAMILIES

The article deals with the activities of Diaspora organizations as a potential subject of adaptation of children from migrant families in the Russian socio-cultural environment. The work is based on the materials of Diaspora organizations and schools with ethno-cultural component. Migration strategies are correlated with the four main models of migration policy – assimilation, segregation, marginalization and integration. According to the authors ' findings, the priority for Diaspora organizations is to establish the preservation of the ethnic identity of migrant children, rather than their adaptation to the Russian civil society. There is also a priority orientation to the States of immigration departure in educational and educational work with young people, while the orientation to the Russian Federation is secondary, and in some cases – the attitude to it is built through latent hostility. The authors associate the way out of the conflict with the integration model of migration policy, which implies the formation of a two-level identity system for migrants. Despite the obvious role potential of Diaspora organizations in the adaptation of migrant children as an independent research problem, this topic has not been directly raised in the national scientific literature, which necessitates scientific work in this area.

Optimising the Role of Sub-Saharan African Remittance Senders in Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10 seeks to reduce inequality by limiting the costs of remittances to less than 3% and eliminating corridors, which will cost more than 5% by 2030. Making remittances affordable is timely given that they were three times higher than official development assistance to the developing world in 2016. This comparison between remittances and aid tacitly recognises these migrants as important actors in development. The absence of other references to remittances in the SDGs demands analysis of how remittance senders are conceptualised by other ‘development actors’. This paper examines the complexities and contradictions that obscure the conceptualisation and mobilisation of Sub-Saharan African remittance senders in sustainable development. It is informed by in-depth interviews with officials from a bilateral donor agency and diaspora organisations. It applies a social constructionist framework to understand how the role of remittance senders can be reconceptualised to examine how their interventions impact sustainable development in Africa.

From Resettled Refugees to Humanitarian Actors: Refugee Diaspora Organizations and Everyday Humanitarianism

ABSTRACTThis article describes the everyday humanitarianism of refugees resettled in Australia who form small voluntary organizations to help “their people” displaced elsewhere in the world. The people involved in refugee diaspora organizations (RDOs) are animated by forces that reflect their distinct history, positionality, and relationship to the “suffering others” they help. What the everyday humanitarianism of RDOs suggests is that we live in a world of many-humanitarianisms, where there are different possibilities to care and connect to strangers in need. While “humanitarianism” has become synonymous with a set of dominant practices and actors, there is need for other actors – including refugee diaspora humanitarians – to be given space within both humanitarianism discourse and practice.

The Role of the Western Ukrainian Diaspora in Ethnocultural Processes in Ukraine (End of the 1980s — the Middle of the 1990s)

The article analyzes the role of foreign Ukrainians in ethnocultural processes in Ukraine in the late 1980s – early 1990s. The period of Gorbachev’s restructuring, when ideological stereotypes were destroyed, observed the growing interest of the public in history, modern life, and achievements in the sphere of economy, culture, education, science, art, literature of the Ukrainian diaspora, its mutual influences and interconnections with the Ukrainians of the original homeland. The historical aspects of these relationships received a wider study and observance as such that shed light on the genesis and nature of the processes of this interaction, comprehension of the Ukrainian diaspora as a national, spiritual, mental, and cultural-artistic phenomenon. The article shows the contribution of the Ukrainian diaspora to the formation of national identity, national memory, the consolidation of the Ukrainian nation, the development of civil society, language, culture, and education; proves its importance and influence on the formation of national identity and the establishment of national consciousness of the Ukrainians. It leads to the dissemination of the Ukrainian language not only among intellectuals but also among the general population, especially in regional centers and towns; helps to get rid of their own inferiority and to recognize themselves as Europeans, worthy of full creative lives in an independent state.Ukrainian diaspora, together with writers, cultural, and public figures, began to defend Ukrainian language and culture, which became crucial for protecting the very “right for life” of the Ukrainian nation within the legal limits of the state-political system in the USSR. All their efforts were aimed at achieving the true sovereign state of Ukraine through real restructuring and democratization, and hence decentralization, ensuring the state status and creative prospects for the Ukrainian language, as well as the promising future for the Ukrainian nation.The article provides the examples of activities of the Ukrainian diaspora organizations, foundations and companies, created by the representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora to return to Ukraine cultural values of different countries of the world; to develop national education and science, in particular Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; to establish democratic institutions of independent Ukraine; and to provide financial, material, and humanitarian assistance to it.

Social Accountability in Diaspora Organizations Aiding Syrian Migrants

AbstractThis article presents data from a study of Syrian diaspora organizations providing assistance to conflict‐affected Syrians in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Using interview data from leaders in four Syrian diaspora non‐profit organizations, this article examines the social mechanisms used to ensure accountability within the challenging environments where the organizations operate. We find that Syrian diaspora organizations benefit from informal social accountability mechanisms that derive from individuals’ social network ties. Personal, social forms of accountability are particularly valuable to these organizations because these mechanisms help circumvent uncertainty and challenges in the operational environment. These findings reflect an important theme in the extant literature on diaspora philanthropy: diaspora members may have an advantage over other actors because of dense personal networks that make them adept at identifying dependable partners and enforcing agreements even in places where banking and legal systems are fragile.

Guarantee of Religious Practices as a Part of the Cultural Security of Polish-Speaking Catholics Living in Germany

The paper deals with three problematic threads, i.e.: defining cultural security, the issue of legal guarantees due to a national minority in a foreign country, and the results of a research conducted among the Polish community in Germany. Field research was conducted using a technique of questionnaire interviews in the community associated with two Polish diaspora organizations: Polish Catholic Mission in Hamburg and Gazeta Polska ("Polish Newspaper") in Hamburg. The aim of the discussion is to answer the following question: do Polish-speaking Catholics, representing the national minority in Germany, perceive threats to their own religious practices? The results of the research have highlighted the perspective of representatives with extreme and moderate views on the right to manifest religious identity in Germany.

The Influence of Ethno-National Lobbies on the Us Foreign Policy: History of the Ukrainian Diaspora

The article examines the political potential of the Ukrainian ethnic lobby in US foreign policy. Proceeding from the fact that ethnic lobbies in the US are able to overcome the institutional system of checks and balances, the authors try to establish the extent and limits of the influence of the Ukrainian lobby. The given lobby is based on a small-numbered Ukrainian diaspora in the US, which was formed as a result of four waves of migration from the territory of modern Ukraine, due to various reasons. As a result, the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States has developed as a highly heterogeneous and multi-layered community. The main organization of the Ukrainian diaspora is the Ukrainian Committee of the Congress of America, which is an umbrella structure for organizations of economic, cultural and political profile, as well as for associations of veterans, women and youth. The Ukrainian diaspora in the US uses the following tools for political purposes. First, the diaspora organizations strive to encourage the activities of their low- and middle-ranking civil servants to form an optimal agenda. Diaspora immigrants from experts and media persons are connected to this process. Secondly, the Ukrainian diaspora has established cooperation with other Eastern European diasporas. The cooperation allows the Ukrainian Americans to use electoral potential in the states of the Northwest and Midwest of the United States and to take joint initiatives in communication with the Congress. Together, Eastern European diasporas have some influence on the American foreign policy process when it comes to the Congress, but the scope of influence should not be exaggerated. However, the demand for anti-Russian arguments is formed within the American establishment, that brings the agenda of the Ukrainian diaspora to the forefront of foreign policy debate. This allows us to conclude that the potential for political influence of the Ukrainian ethnic lobby in the United States is limited without a suitable international context.