Diasporic Networks Research Articles

Connecting People: A Central Asian Sufi network in turn-of-the-century Istanbul

AbstractThe role of Sufi networks in facilitating trans-imperial travel and the concomitant social and political connections associated with the pilgrimage to Mecca is often mentioned in the literature on Ottoman-Central Asian relations, yet very little is known about how these networks operated or the people who patronized them. This paper focuses on the Sultantepe Özbekler Tekkesi, a Naqshbandi lodge in Istanbul that was a primary locus of Ottoman state interactions with Central Asians and a major hub of Central Asian diasporic networks. It departs from an exclusive focus on the experiences of elites, to which much of the conventional historiography on Ottoman-Central Asian relations has confined itself, and examines the butchers and bakers, craftsmen and students who set out on the hajj to Mecca in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Drawing on sources from the private archive of this lodge, the paper reconstructs the experiences of a diverse range of remarkably mobile actors and explores the myriad ways in which this Ottoman-administered institution facilitated their travel to and from Mecca. Through its focus on the conduits and mediators, the structures and buildings—the actual sites—where connections were forged, the paper sheds light on the role that such state-administered Sufi lodges played in delivering on the paternalistic rhetoric and system of sultanic charity that was an integral part of late Ottoman politics and society.

Atlantic Diasporas: Jews, Conversos, and Crypto-Jews in the Age of Mercantilism, 1500-1800 (review)

Reviewed by: Atlantic Diasporas: Jews, Conversos, and Crypto-Jews in the Age of Mercantilism, 1500-1800 Ana Schaposchnik Atlantic Diasporas: Jews, Conversos, and Crypto-Jews in the Age of Mercantilism, 1500-1800. Edited by Richard L. Kagan and Philip D. Morgan. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. 328 pp. $60.00 (cloth); $30.00 (paper). The presence of New Christian, Converso, and Crypto-Jewish networks in the 1500-1800s has been widely studied. Themes such as genealogy, family histories, religious identities and experiences, and so forth have received the attention of many scholars who looked at their presence in Europe, Africa, and the New World colonies. This book is innovative because it explores the topic by combining two lines of inquiry: Atlantic history and port Jews. Atlantic Jews, therefore, are now the focus of an analysis that poses broad questions, crosses imperial [End Page 855] boundaries, enlarges comparative frameworks, and provides context for specific microhistories. The book is divided into three parts: part 1 is about contexts, part 2 is about mercantilism, and part 3 is about identity and religion. These three parts are not separate compartments, since crucial themes such as the identity of these early modern Jews, Conversos, and Crypto-Jews, and their social location within these Atlantic contexts are present throughout the volume. Primary sources used in this volume are as varied as topics and articles and reflect to some extent the multiple paths of this diaspora (archives located in Amsterdam, London, Lima, Seville, Lisbon). In part 1, Jonathan Israel and Adam Sutcliffe provide the broad imperial contexts within which this diaspora lived until the eighteenth century and also remark on "its intricate diversity encompassing observant Jews, New Christians, and intermediary crypto-Jews of varied hues, and communities substantially integrated into Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and other cultures" (p. 27). In addition to their Jewish ancestry and potential religious affiliation (which was indeed more flexible than previous scholarship had assumed) what did these Sephardim have in common? According to this author, the Sephardim could maintain their trading and familial networks because of their pragmatism and their lack of concern regarding theological and political rivalries (in their host communities). Several questions that emerge after reading these two essays are directly or indirectly addressed in the remaining parts of the book. For example, was the Sephardic diaspora similar to other diasporas? How did the members of this diaspora interact with local populations? In parts 2 and 3 of the book the reader can fully appreciate how innovative this volume's approach is. Here we see the connection between Atlantic port Jews in Dutch Brazil and in Suriname and Curaçao (Klooster) and how these communities incorporated new generations in a society that depended on slavery (Ben-Ur). We also see comparisons between diasporas. For example, Snyder explores how naturalization (endenization) opened the door for the presence of Jewish merchants in British American ports and to what extent they were different from trading diasporic networks. Studnicki-Gizbert compares the Portuguese Sephardic merchants with other trading diasporas across the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Assuming that these networks "were simultaneously the products and creators of the Atlantic world" (Studnicki-Gizbert, p. 78), this author studies how cultural and economic activities interact within a diasporic framework. At the domestic level, the pattern that emerges is that of a diaspora composed mainly of single men who migrated following commercial routes. [End Page 856] As a whole, this volume is a very important contribution to our understanding of a very complex diaspora that defies simplistic generalizations. As Natalie Zemon Davis says in the epilogue, this book demonstrates that Jews, Conversos, and Crypto-Jews simultaneously reproduced European patterns, and developed new ones across continents and oceans. Ana Schaposchnik DePaul University Copyright © 2011 University of Hawai'i Press

A Network Approach to the Study of the World Uyghur Congress’ Global Outreach: A Methodological Note

This methodological note is to introduce new social network analysis (SNA) data sets that can be used to visualize and analyze the global linkages of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC). The results show that first of all, the WUC and Rebiya Kadeer play central roles in mobilizing political activity around the globe. Second, human rights NGOs and other organizations from the Uyghur diaspora pervade the networks of the WUC, and are spearheading the coordination of events and the exchange of information. Third, the WUC is keen on connecting with government representatives and journalists. Fourth, a growing number of links exist between the WUC and news organizations. Such links are most obvious among news organizations situated within the same country, when a Uyghur-related event occurs. A quintessential example is observed in the SNA map, where Japanese press and media showed interest in reporting Uyghur news when WUC Secretary General Dolkun Isa visited Japan to promote the Uyghur issue in 2006. A case study of Uyghur linkages in Australia further demonstrates WUC influence over Uyghur activism in various corners of the world. The purpose of this paper is not only to provide the first visualization and empirical test in regard to WUC networks that China’s government and various China observers have believed to exist. With this document, I also demonstrate how a network approach can provide alternate ways for researchers to conduct their respective studies on diasporic networks of Tibetans, Taiwanese, or Chinese.

Music in circulation between diasporic histories and modern media: exploring sonic politics in two Bollywood films Om Shanti Om and Dulha Mil Gaya

A complex scenario connecting Indian labour history, British imperial history and nineteenth century musical histories provides a context for understanding contemporary Indian diasporic musical practice in the Caribbean. This is a scenario that led to the formation of the ‘old Indian Diaspora’, as it is now known, which links the modern Indian nation-state to diverse geographic locations through both primary and secondary migrations. Contemporary creative practices circulate globally through diasporic networks. This article considers sonic politics in two modern Indian films to gain further insights into modern cultural landscapes resulting from imperial processes in the formation of diasporas. This is a reading of musical moments rather than of complete soundtracks. The title track song in the film Om Shanti Om is explored in relation to Ras Shorty I's soca song of the same title, converging diasporic histories and postcolonial social visions. Sonic politics in the film Dulha Mil Gaya are examined in questioning what Bollywood in a Caribbean location tells us about geographies of belonging, new economic relationships and citizenship. Wilson Harris's reflections on tradition and living arts provide a theoretical framework informing this interpretation of sonic politics in these two films.

Transnationalism as a Force for Ethnic Minority Enterprise? The Case of Somalis in Leicester

AbstractThe extant literature on the phenomenon of transnational entrepreneurship has documented that in an era characterized by ‘superdiversity’, ethnic minorities use their diasporic networks to access an array of valuable resources in order to facilitate entrepreneurial activity. The article examines the connection between the notions of ‘superdiversity’, transnationalism and entrepreneurship by illuminating the dynamics of ‘transnational’ Somali business activity in Leicester. Considering this as a critical case, we attempt to address a gap in the literature on ethnic minority enterprise, which has struggled to address the ‘diversification of diversity’ that attends the arrival of new communities in the UK. Moreover, the article contributes to the discussion on the importance of ‘conditioning factors’ in explaining the ‘integration’ of new arrivals. Although familial and co‐ethnic ties influence the availability and interaction of social, financial and human capital, this falls considerably short of neoliberal depictions of globalization. The political‐economic context imposes harsh constraints upon Somali business activity which cannot be circumvented by the utilization of diasporic links, and transnational entrepreneurship is likely to be the preserve of a minority of minorities.Résumé La littérature existante sur le phénomène de l'entreprenariat transnational a montré qu'à une époque empreinte de ‘superdiversité’, les minorités ethniques utilisent les réseaux de leur diaspora pour accéder à tout un ensemble de ressources précieuses pour faciliter l'activité entrepreneuriale. L'article examine le lien entre les notions de ‘superdiversité’, de transnationalisme et d'initiative entrepreneuriale en éclairant la dynamique de l'activitééconomique ‘transnationale’ somalienne à Leicester. Considérant ce cas comme critique, ce travail tente de combler une lacune dans les recherches sur l'entreprise au sein des minorités ethniques, ces études n'ayant pas réussi à traiter la ‘diversification de la diversité’ résultant de l'arrivée de nouvelles communautés au Royaume‐Uni. En outre, l'article contribue à la discussion sur l'importance des ‘facteurs de conditionnement’ dans l'explication de ‘l'intégration’ de nouveaux arrivants. Même si les liens familiaux et la co‐ethnicité influencent la disponibilité et l'interaction du capital social, financier et humain, l'ensemble est très loin des représentations néolibérales de la mondialisation. Le contexte politico‐économique impose des contraintes sévères sur l'activitééconomique des Somaliens, contraintes qui ne peuvent être contournées en recourant au réseau de la diaspora, et l'entreprenariat transnational risque donc d'être réservéà une minorité de minorités.

Jazz and the Evolution of Black American Cosmopolitanism in Interwar Paris

This article shows that African American jazz performers created a cosmopolitan diasporic network through transatlantic touring during the interwar years. Successful black musicians and dancers lived in large international cities, or "cosmopolitan pleasure centers," to quote singer Florence Mills, and they performed in the international space of the nightclub. Most of them retained a strong sense of identity as black Americans and invoked their international experiences to criticize narrow racial practices in the United States. Collectively, these men and women forged a practice of black American cosmopolitanism that was transmitted back to America by way of the black press. Examining their experiences serves to interrogate and expand the idea of cosmopolitan practice, and understanding their experiences as cosmopolitan explains why the "jazz migration" was an important political and cultural phenomenon for the larger black American community at the time.

The Secular and the Radical in Irish Associational Culture of Mid-Victorian Glasgow

It will be argued in this article that, in engaging with a diasporic network centred on the Dublin-centred National Brotherhood of St Patrick, a more public and confident Irish Catholic leadership emerged in Glasgow during the 1860s. The self-improving reading room culture that the Brotherhood was at pains to provide for also, however, proved attractive to Irish-Scots workers and gave them important formal associational experience. When the local Catholic hierarchy portrayed this as secret society nationalism in disguise, leading Irish Catholic worthies reacted by publicly associating themselves with more militant nationalists in expressions of an Irishness that was both secular and, at times, radical.

BEYOND ETHNICITY, INTO EQUALITY

This paper examines how the concepts of hybridity and transnationalism can be salvaged from a neo-liberal discourse of identity politics and rescued for a critical Cultural Studies project that takes into account historical materialism. Focusing on a ‘place-based notion of identity’ in the context of Hawai‘i’s diverse ethnic population, and with specific reference to the hybrid and transnational formation of a ‘local Chinese consciousness’, the paper argues that understanding the complex local Chinese identity formation in Hawai‘i requires re-conceptualizing hybridity and diasporic consciousness along the lines of Aihwa Ong's notion of ‘embedded citizenship’, Adam McKeon's emphasis on diasporic network relations, and Ien Ang's definition of hybridity as denoting ‘complicated entanglement’ and ‘togetherness-in-difference’. Applying these conceptual distinctions to a careful reading of the celebrated play, ‘A Little Bit Like You’, by local playwright Darrell Lum, the paper shows that beyond the humorous, albeit familiar, portrayal of interethnic marriage and hybrid identity in Hawai‘i, the play actually offers us invaluable insight into the complex entanglement of ethnicity and socio-economic inequality as a result of diasporic labor and network relations in the islands. In the final analysis then, this paper makes a case for a critical transnationalism that seeks to reveal, rather than conceal, economic inequality and social injustice as part of a larger intellectual commitment to an ethics of knowledge production.

The dynamics of translocal and transjurisdictional networks: a diasporic perspective

Diasporic initiatives, implemented ‘from below’ no less than ‘from above’, have played a key role in 500 years of globalisation and have made significant contribution to swings in the global balance of power and wealth. The diasporic networks which non‐European migrants have utilised to establish themselves in the global North are far from novel, although their transgressive success has begun to alarm the indigenes of Euro‐America. In a last‐ditch effort to sustain the established global order, Northern jurisdictions are currently seeking to criminalise the ‘informal’ dimensions of the interlopers’ transjurisdictional networks, even though their function and purpose is strikingly similar to those deployed within contemporary multinational corporations.

Development and the African diaspora: place and the politics of home

There has been much recent celebration of the success of African 'civil society' in forging global connections through an ever-growing diaspora. Against the background of such celebrations, this innovative book sheds light on the diasporic networks - 'home associations' - whose economic contributions are being used to develop home. Despite these networks being part of the flow of migrants' resources back to Africa that now outweighs official development assistance, the relationship between the flow of capital and social and political change are still poorly understood. Looking in particular at Cameroon and Tanzania, the authors examine the networks of migrants that have been created by making 'home associations' international. They argue that claims in favour of enlarging 'civil society' in Africa must be placed in the broader context of the political economy of migration and wider debates concerning ethnicity and belonging. They demonstrate both that diasporic development is distinct from mainstream development, and that it is an uneven historical process in which some 'homes' are better placed to take advantage of global connections than others. In doing so, the book engages critically with the current enthusiasm among policy-makers for treating the African diaspora as an untapped resource for combating poverty. Its focus on diasporic networks, rather than private remittances, reveals the particular successes and challenges diasporas face in acting as a group, not least in mobilising members of the diaspora to fulfill obligations to home.

Unexpected Outcomes of Thai Cassava Trade: A Case of Global Complexity and Local Unsustainability

Tracing the Thai cassava (Manihot esculenta) trade network, between 1960 and 2000, offers a compelling example of global complexity at work. The emergence of Thailand's dominance of world export markets caught the world by surprise. The opening up of a European market for cassava was supposed to be met by Brazilian and Indonesian producers. Instead, Thailand took over the market by 1975. Several factors facilitated this emergence including: entrepreneurial diasporic networks of Thai-Chinese traders, local political economy conditions in both Europe and Thailand, and ecological conditions in Thailand. These same factors also shaped the subsequent timing of the closing of the European market, the emergence of a new industry association, the creation of new cassava products, and the expansion to other markets. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of cassava market yielded equivocal outcomes for both Europe and Thai farmers. A Chinese version of this article's abstract is available online at: www.informaworld.com/rglo

Sexing the Sojourner: Imagining Nation/Writing Women in the Global Chinese Diaspora

This essay is addresses the symbolic power of the Chinese female body in the Exclusion Era. Female Chinese migrants to the US in the late nineteenth-century found both their bodies and their work circumscribed by patriarchal efforts at nation-building exterted from both sides of the Pacific. When female immigrants began arriving in California only a few years after statehood had been granted, they became passive participants in political efforts to ensure that the West Coast be assimilated to the American nation. This meant that permanent settlers should be white, Christian and European; temporary immigrant workers should be prevented from reproducing families in the US but encouraged to produce future generations of temporary labor in China. However, the recent liberalization of Chinese Exclusion laws forbidding immigration to the US from China involved efforts to sustain and extend a complex diasporic network of economic, social, political and cultural relationships spanning the Pacific. While Chinese women were exploited through a trans-Pacific sex trade made possible by both Chinese and American patriarchy, they also articulated the contradictory demands made by the nascent nation state on its frontiers. Chinese women were demonized as disease-carrying prostitutes at the same time that they facilitated the bachelor lifestyle of the Chinese men who were to build the infrastructure of the American West. In this way Chinese immigrant women, many of whom were subjected to sexual servitude in frontier mining towns and growing coastal cities, made possible the permanent settling of the West by European American families, families that would reproduce as white Anglo-American nationalized bodies.

Zimbabweans in Britain: Transnational Activities and Capabilities

This paper explores the economic, political, social and cultural transnational exchanges of 500 Zimbabweans living in the UK. The paper examines the ways in which motivations for migration and immigration status impact on the type of transnational exchanges that take place between the UK and Zimbabwe, and also among diasporic networks elsewhere. After social contact with close family members, economic remittances form the most regular exchanges. The paper shows the ways in which remittance activities are affected by the structural exclusions, due to government policy, experienced by asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants who are prohibited from working in the regular labour market. However, it also clearly demonstrates that, with the exception of more political activity among those who left Zimbabwe for political reasons, motivations for migration have little impact on the nature of transnational exchanges among Zimbabweans in the UK.

Indian Nationalism and the ‘world forces’: transnational and diasporic dimensions of the Indian freedom movement on the eve of the First World War

AbstractThe present article takes a global perspective on the diasporic networks of Indian revolutionaries that were emerging on the eve of the First World War. It looks particularly at three important headquarters of their activities, namely London, New York and Tokyo. The narrative is centred on the ‘India Houses’ that were opened in these three cities and served as the institutional umbrella units for the revolutionary schemes. Finally, the political alliances forged and the ideological resources tapped in these three settings are sketched out and briefly analysed. The case study makes two points: to begin with, it is important to extend historical scrutiny beyond the geographical bounds of India to fully grasp the development of Indian nationalism in this first peak time of globalization; second, the existence of the sophisticated transnational anti-imperial propaganda networks that are the focus of this study raises doubts about the alleged watershed character of the First World War as the ‘global moment’ that decisively shook the imperial world order. The year 1905, it is argued, was at least as important in this regard.

Networks of Commerce and Knowledge in the Iron Age: The Case of the Phoenicians

Regarding the Phoenicians' expansion in the Iron Age, controversy continues over chronology, areas affected, scale of migration, organization of trade, modes of interaction between Phoenician traders/colonists and the respective indigenous populations and means of maintaining contact and of transmitting information between ‘colonial’ settlements and the mother cities in the Levant. Critical problems arise from the textual evidence from the Phoenicians' neighbours; the archaeological material is also ambiguous regarding the ethnic and cultural identities of the populations involved. The paper uses available evidence to construct a model of how a diasporic network of commodity, population and information exchange could arise and be maintained in the power vacuum of the Early Iron Age Mediterranean, how it was adapted to political and economic change, so as to provide a tertium comparationis to the Greek model of ‘colonization’.

Mobility and Displacement

Mobility and Displacement

Community Building Education and Greek Diasporic Networks

Globalisation has proven a prevailing and flexible system with great impact on social, economic and political values and principles. In addition, globalisation was a destabilizing factor for ethnicity due to the greater global connectedness and de-territorialisation (ethnicities are not tied to any specific territory of polity) of the symbolic links between individual and their imagined communities. The continuous immigration flows show that normative expectations for assimilation were interrupted by experiences of people who maintained multicultural, multilingual and diasporic attachments to places outside the national shore. At the same time global market crises and the loss of public social and economic security have been said to lead to a more sophisticated version of the old assimilationism (the fear about racial differentiation-the racial 'others') and nationalisms. Finally, globalisation has had a profound impact on education and in particular ethnic schooling by forcing educational agencies to reposition themselves. Rethinking the role of part-time school networks is, thus, an urgent task. The new complexities of the knowledge economy demand new thinking and contemporary skills and attributes as well as the capacity to deal with cultural diversity. Education needs to develop global learners open to autonomous, assisted and collaborative learning enhancing at the same time their global/diasporic consciousness and sense of identity. The globalisation of education provides opportunities for building transnational and diasporic collectivities thought collaborative action learning projects among global students. This paper will focus on the so-called cultural globalisation and the dynamics of diasporic educational networks as change forces.

Between a bad peace and a good war: insights and lessons from the almost-war in Macedonia

I argue that Macedonia's internal conditions set the stage for interethnic tension but did not preordain war. Ethnic inequality, cultural differences, economic troubles and political underdevelopment are examined and ruled insufficient to produce war conditions. The spark that set Macedonia alight was the proliferation of Albanian paramilitaries from Kosovo. NATO's failure to disarm and disband the Kosovo Liberation Army allowed a major security threat to develop at MacedoniaÕs doorstep. Hence, this case teaches us that porous borders, diasporic networks, and the availability of young men and weapons are the key ingredients of ethnic war-making. The concerted attention of the EU saved Macedonia from a descent into chaos, although it did so by extracting concessions not from the insurgents but from the Macedonian regime. The EU' mix of financial incentives and diplomatic pressure worked primarily because Macedonia was too weak and too poor to offer resistance.