Refugee Diasporas

Book (Forthcoming)

Background

Mass refugee movements induced by conflict have contributed to the transformation of global society, particularly since the end of the Cold War.  Major new diasporas have consolidated from these movements: these transnational social formations appear to be enduring and undertake a variety of forms of transnational activity, shaping both the societies in which diaspora find themselves and their home communities and societies, as well as fostering connections with others in the diaspora.   

Diasporas formed by conflict-induced migration are shaped both by the society from which they have come and the new society in which they find themselves: they carry with them the values of their homeland, while absorbing to a greater or lesser degree the values of their host society. These values, together with the socio-economic character of the diaspora – class, ethnic, generational, gender and other dimensions –  help determine the extent to which diaspora engage in their home and host societies and in turn influence the character of these societies.   

Aims and objectives

The aim of this book project is to draw out these dynamics of refugee diaspora formation and influence in the global political economy.  While the role of diaspora in development broadly conceived has stimulated much debate over the last decade or so, it is only relatively recently that attention has turned to the influence of diasporas in conflict-ridden societies. There has been a general shift in perception from ascribing diasporas a negative influence in fomenting and supporting conflict (‘war mongers’ or ‘peace-wreckers’) to the more positive view that they can assist with relief, peace-building, recovery and post-conflict reconstruction (‘peace-makers’ or ‘peace-builders’).  However, the question are rarely asked, what kind of development and what kind of society are likely to emerge from diaspora intervention, engagement or return in conflict and post conflict settings?  These are among the questions that will animate this volume.  

The diasporas that have emerged through conflict-induced displacement can influence the homeland in two ways:  from abroad, while the diaspora is in exile, by lobbying, sending remittances and making other transfers; and by returning – on visits or more permanently -- and investing or otherwise engaging in the homeland. This volume will explore some of these dynamics of diaspora formation and engagement in conflict settings, take a critical look at how humanitarian and development agencies are embracing diaspora ‘potential’ for reconstruction and recovery in such conditions, assess the extent to which diaspora groups really are transnational agents for recovery and development in conflict-ridden societies, and point to the kinds of society that might be expected to emerge from such engagement. 

Outputs

This volume will draw on research and publications by Nicholas Van Hear, including:

  • Refugee diasporas or refugees in diaspora, in Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember, & Ian Skoggard (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Vol. I: Overviews and Topics. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. 2004, 580-589. 
  • Refugees in diaspora: from durable solutions to transnational relations, Refuge, 23 1 Winter, 2006, 9-15. http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/refuge/index 
  • ‘I went as far as my money would take me’: conflict, forced migration and class’, in F Crepeau et al eds. Forced migration and global processes: a view from forced migration studies, Lanham MA: Lexington/Rowman and Littlefield, 2006, 125-158.
    Click here to open     ‘I went as far as my money would take me’: conflict, forced migration and class. Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), Working Paper 6, 2004, Oxford: COMPAS.
  • Pulled between host and home: refugee responsibilities in today’s Britain. London: Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR). Consultation on Refugee Rights and Responsibilities, March 2007. Click here to open.  www.icar.org.uk 
  • The Rise of Refugee Diasporas. Current History, 108, 717, April 2009. Click here to open article.