Diaspora and conflictIn recent years, the term ‘diaspora’ has proliferated - in academia, among governments and NGOs and among migrant and refugee groups, who have increasingly identified themselves as diasporas. Diasporas are usually defined as populations that are spread over several countries and who create a common identity around a concrete or imagined homeland. Diasporas can have an effect on conflicts in their home country, just as they may influence peace negotiations, reconciliation processes and post-conflict peace building. The question remains whether refugees and migrants exacerbate war and conflict or whether they contribute to peace and reconciliation. This question is also relevant in relation to peace building and reconstruction programmes, where the international community increasingly involves the diaspora in peace negotiations, transitional governments and development programmes. While governments and international organizations are involving diasporas in these processes, it is important for research to critically scrutinize the dilemmas and pitfalls in relation to such policies. We explore these issues through three themes:
Researchers working on these themes include: Danny Raymond, Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Simon Turner, Nauja Kleist, Peter Hansen, Finn Stepputat and Jairo Munive Rincon. Relevant publications:African Diaspora Organizations and Homeland Development: Somali and Ghanaian associations in Denmark Nauja Kleist, 2009 Diasporas and Fragile States (pdf) Peter hansen, 2008 Mobilizing ‘the Diaspora’. Somali Transnational Political Engagement Nauja Kleist, 2008 Agents of Development and Change. The Somali Diaspora at Work Nauja Kleist, 2008 Circumcising Migration. Gendering Return Migration among Somalilanders (pdf) Peter Hansen, 2008 In the Name of Diaspora: Between Struggles for Recognition and Political Aspirations Nauja Kleist, 2008 Mobilizing ‘the Diaspora’. Somali Transnational Political Engagement Nauja Kleist, 2008 Diaspora – Studying the mobilization of a Somaliland transborder citizenry Nauja Kleist og Peter Hansen, 2008 Revolving Returnees in Somaliland (pdf) Peter Hansen, 2007 A Heart made of Habhab but with Danish Manners. Negotiating gender and political positioning in transnational fields. Nauja kleist, 2007 Somali-Scandinavian Dreaming. When ‘the diaspora’ returns to the desert Nauja Kleist, 2007 Diasporas and Conflict Resolution - Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution? Eva Østergaard-Nielsen, DIIS Brief, March 2006 African Diaspora and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Africa Abdullah A. Mohamoud, DIIS Brief, February 2006 The Big Demonstration. A study of transborder political mobilization. Nauja Kleist og Peter Hansen, 2005 Dynamics of Return and Sustainable Reintegration in a "Mobile Livelihoods"-Perspective Finn Stepputat, 2004 Roots, Rights and Responsibilities. Place-making and Repatriation among Somalis in Denmark and Somaliland. Peter Hansen, Nauja Kleist og Mette Fink-Nielsen, 2004 Research programmesMobilising African Diasporas as Agents of Change: a comparative study of the encounter between African states and their diasporas Former research programmes |
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