300200 Mobilizing from Abroad: How diasporas engage for the origin country (S) (WiSe 2018/2019)

The increase in international migration and the proliferation of modern means of communication and transportation have led to the notion of the formation of an ever-increasing number of diasporas. Today, diasporas are understood as examplary transnational communities of migrants (and their descendants) with a shared origin that have been widely dispersed. In places of settlement they (re)construct a certain origin-based identity and maintain close relations in their origin country. Therefore, they also receive considerable attention from policy-makers in the fields of migration and development as well as peacebuilding.
In this course, we will deal with the question of how diasporas mobilize for their origin country within transnational settings. The course proceeds in the following way: In the first sessions, an understanding of what diasporas are or how they can be conceptualized will be developed. This will be followed by sessions addressing how they engage. While in the early 2000s, diasporas were largely considered to perpetuate conflicts in the origin country, meanwhile, the perspectives become more nuanced, and their positive impact is increasingly highlighted. Their potential for bringing about change in the origin country is emphasized in domains such as development, post-conflict reconstruction, democratization, human rights promotion and transitional justice. In order to develop an understanding of how they mobilize, a social movement perspective is introduced. In the second part of the course, participants will present case studies, which will be selected according to their interests (e.g., Kurdish, Tamil, ‘Balkan’, Armenian ‘diaspora’ engagement).

Requirements for participation, required level

prior knowledge in transnational migration research or conflict studies desirable but not a requirement