Special issue introduction: New research directions and critical perspectives on diaspora strategies

Ho, Elaine Lynn‐Ee; Hickey, Maureen; Yeoh, Brenda S. A.

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.12.006

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This stresses the importance of emotions in research on diasporic identity (Christou 2011), which arguably needs more attention in the literature on diaspora mobilisation. This paper also reminds us that homeland governments cannot necessarily rely on the support or help of diasporas, which needs to be considered in potential diaspora strategies (Ho 2015;Larner 2007;Jöns, Mavroudi and Heffernan 2015). At times of crisis, in weak states and regions where sovereignty is contested, governments and those in positions of power, such as diasporic leaders and activists, need to do more to win over the trust of those in diaspora, in order to demonstrate that actions yield some sort of results, even small, incremental ones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Deconstructing diasporic mobilisation at a time of crisis: perspectives from the Palestinian and Greek diasporas

Mavroudi

2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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This paper focuses on the difficulties that diasporas face in relation to mobilising around helping the homeland at a time of crisis, using qualitative research on the Greek and Palestinian diasporas. Rather than assume that long-distance nationalism, emotional attachment to the homeland and diasporic obligation will galvanise diasporic populations into assisting, and mobilising around, the homeland, the paper argues that those in diasporas do not necessarily help their homelands in times of crisis, even if they have strong socio-cultural connections to it. At times of crisis these feelings are heightened but not do not always translate into direct action; this may especially be the case at times of prolonged crisis when past efforts to help do not seem to have worked. This paper argues that it is often hard for those in diaspora to find long-term and meaningful ways to help at a time of crisis and many question the effectiveness of their actions if they do not see positive outcomes over time. The paper demonstrates that trying to help the homeland can therefore be a frustrating process and can make those in diaspora feel distanced and isolated from the homeland due to their inability to find concrete ways to help. This can be especially the case when they have no formal political voice in the homeland and disagree with government policies and activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Deconstructing diasporic mobilisation at a time of crisis: perspectives from the Palestinian and Greek diasporas

Mavroudi

2017

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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“…I propose the term “diaspora girls” to refer to the subjects interpellated by these representations. With international institutions and states in the global North increasingly emphasising a “diaspora option” in development, diaspora organisations identified as instruments of “Smart Power” by the US administration during the Obama era (International Diaspora Engagement Alliance ), and migrant‐sending states and non‐state actors adopting “diaspora strategies” (Ho et al ), my use of this term seeks to problematise, rather than naturalise, the assumptions of “extra‐territorial belonging” (Raj )—and conversely, territorial un‐ or conditional belonging in states of residence—which such strategies and initiatives promote. Further, by referring to “diaspora girls” I seek to explicitly relate the representations I analyse to the wider phenomenon of the “Girl Powering of Development” (Koffman and Gill ).…”

Section: Introduction: “Diaspora Girls” In Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

At Once the Saviours and the Saved: “Diaspora Girls”, Dangerous Places, and Smart Power

Wilson

2019

Antipode

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This article explores how racially marked young women and girls are sought to be discursively and materially incorporated into markets and imperial economic and geopolitical strategies in spatially differentiated ways, through an examination of a series of media productions which portray the engagement of young racialised British citizens with their countries of heritage. I propose the term "diaspora girls" to refer to the protagonists of these media productions, who are understood as embodying "British" post-feminist gender values and heroically carrying them to "dangerous" spaces of gender oppression and violence. In the context of current constructions of diasporas as agents of development, alongside the framing of migration as a "security threat" to the global North, these British citizens are viewed as ideally positioned to further the contemporary imperialist project. Their perceived empowerment is understood to be fragile and contingent, however, because of their affective connection with these spaces. Further, for those who are Muslim in particular, their perceived Britishness is understood as requiring continual reaffirmation and proof, thus reinforcing racialised structures of citizenship, and legitimising a border regime which reinscribes permanent North-South inequality.

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“…The broad literature on diasporas' agency in state-diaspora relations (Ancien, Boyle, & Kitchin, 2009;Baub€ ock & Faist, 2010;Chen, Racine, & Collins, 2014;Ho, Hickey, & Yeoh, 2015;Margheritis, 2016Margheritis, , 2011, tends to identify state policy making in this field mainly with a few concrete policy areas such as external voting rights, dual citizenship and remittances (Burgess, 2014;Collyer, 2013;Gammage, 2006). Studies on emigrant policies in particular (also known as "diaspora policies" or "diaspora engagement policies") differ in the number and kinds of policies they consider relevant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diaspora policies in comparison: An application of the Emigrant Policies Index (EMIX) for the Latin American and Caribbean region

Pedroza

Palop-García

2017

Political Geography

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a b s t r a c tIn this paper we present the Emigrant Policies Index (EMIX), an index that summarizes the emigrant policies developed by 22 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) states. In recent decades sending states have increasingly adopted policies to keep economic, political or social links with their emigrants. These "emigrant policies" vary in scope and nature between different countries and include measures as diverse as dual citizenship policies, programs to stimulate remittances, the right to vote in the home country from abroad, and the creation of government agencies to administer emigrant issues. The EMIX proposes a useful tool to condense and compare a wide spectrum of policies across countries. Its development involved the collection of official data, as well as a critical review of secondary literature and input from experts as complementary sources. Through a rigorous framework for constructing the index, we show how emigrant policies can be aggregated to measure the overall degree and volume of emigrant policies in LAC states. The results of the EMIX portray a region that has indeed made serious efforts to assist their diaspora in the states of reception and to encourage their involvement in the political, economic and social fabric in the states of origin. The results, however, also reveal great variation in the emigrant policies and the administrative setting adopted by LAC states.

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Special issue introduction: New research directions and critical perspectives on diaspora strategies

Cited by 35 publications

References 35 publications

Deconstructing diasporic mobilisation at a time of crisis: perspectives from the Palestinian and Greek diasporas

Deconstructing diasporic mobilisation at a time of crisis: perspectives from the Palestinian and Greek diasporas

At Once the Saviours and the Saved: “Diaspora Girls”, Dangerous Places, and Smart Power

Diaspora policies in comparison: An application of the Emigrant Policies Index (EMIX) for the Latin American and Caribbean region

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