Advantages and challenges to diaspora transnational civil society activism in the homeland
Examples from Iraqi Kurdistan, Somaliland and South Sudan
Abstract
As the conflicts that gave birth to the diaspora communities began to give way to post-conflict reconstruction, diaspora communities have come to play a part in their homelands’ affairs. As the governments in the homelands have started diverting their efforts and resources to capacity-building and governance, members of the diaspora became potential contributors to such state-building efforts. Their education in the host countries, their material resources, and their access to the governments in the homelands have turned diaspora activists into important contributors to these state-building projects. Diaspora activists, whether they operate mainly in the homeland or the host country, are immersed in both societies. Their activism is the outcome of their experiences in the host country, shaped by their desire to develop the homeland.
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and funded by the UK Department for International Development
Citation
Voller, Yaniv (2020) Advantages and challenges to diaspora transnational civil society activism in the homeland: examples from Iraqi Kurdistan, Somaliland and South Sudan. Conflict Research Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.