Diaspora philanthropy to India has grown rapidly over the past several decades. However, little is known about the motivations of Indians living in the U.S. to donate philanthropically to India. Extant studies have either focused on quantitative analysis of diaspora philanthropy or qualitative research on the receiving of diaspora philanthropy in India. The motivations and strategies of the Indian diaspora in the U.S. have not been explored, particularly, the informal mechanisms and strategies of making philanthropic donations to India and the obligations that underlie the practice of diaspora philanthropy remain neglected in the existing studies on diaspora philanthropy. My research addressed this gap in the existing literature on diaspora philanthropy by conducting qualitative face-to-face in-depth interviews with a snowball sample of 25 Indian engineers in San Diego, California. In my study, it was found that Indians preferred to channel funds for philanthropy in India through friends and family because of lack of trust in formal organizations and greater confidence in the activities of friends and family in India due to familiarity and better accountability. It was also found that Indians felt indebted to Indian society and the Indian nation-state for the free and subsidized education they had received in India, and therefore felt obligated to make philanthropic contributions to India in order to redeem the debt that they owe to India.

This dissertation explores how developed digital media technology influences individuals’ daily lives and their everyday practices. Furthermore, it examines how digital media usage has impacted diasporic members’ identity construction process. With the example of the Korean diaspora in the United States as a case study, this dissertation focuses on the impact of digital media, first, in regard to the ways in which diasporic members communicate with others and respond to the national and social issues of the homeland, and second in regard to their understanding of themselves, as well as their surroundings. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with 35 Korean immigrants and my fieldwork in the New York City, Jersey City, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas from October 2016 to March 2017, this dissertation examines how and to what extent Korean diasporic members have connected to and paid attention to their homeland issues, and how they have responded to them, in tandem with the development of media communication technology throughout the immigration history of the Korean diaspora. This research finds that the advent of digital media has had a significant impact on the Korean diaspora. Despite a generational split in terms of Korean diasporic members’ digital media usage, all of my interviewees use digital media on a daily basis to interact with others, regardless of geographical limitations. As a result, global digital diaspora enables Korean diasporic members to reconfirm the significance of the Korean diaspora. These members recognize the Korean diaspora not as an exclusive community limited to specific local individuals, but rather as a transnational community on a global level. Hence, Korean diasporic members’ self-identification is often based on such an understanding of the Korean diaspora. / Media & Communication

Gausi emigracija ir naujų lietuvių bendruomenių formavimasis užsienio šalyse sudaro prielaidas tyrinėti ir migrantų draugijų bruožus, ir jų raidą istorinėje perspektyvoje. Svarbią reikšmę turi Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė, įsteigta Antrojo pasaulinio karo politinių pabėgėlių bangos atstovų, siekiant suvienyti pasaulyje pasklidusius lietuvius. Disertacijos tikslas rekonstruoti Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenės organizacinius ir politinius raidos aspektus XX a. 5–8 dešimtmečiuose. Pirmoji dalis skirta apžvelgti Pirmosios Lietuvos Respublikos migracijos politikos pamokas, sprendžiant pasaulyje pasklidusių lietuvių telkimo problemas. Antrojoje dalyje aptariama Vakarų šalių politika sprendžiant politinių pabėgėlių likimą po Antrojo pasaulinio karo ir su tuo susijusi pasaulio lietuvių telkimo idėjų raida nuo kompaktinio emigravimo galimybės iki naujos, visai lietuvių išeivijai skirtos organizacijos (Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenės) sukūrimo. Trečiojoje dalyje aprašomos Lietuvių bendruomenių steigimo atskiruose kraštuose sąlygos ir ypatumai; pristatomi PLB institucionalizavimo aspektai, rekonstruojamas PLB vaidmuo formuojant santykius su atskirų kraštų Lietuvių bendruomenėmis, apžvelgiama tų santykių raida; analizuojamas jaunosios išeivijos kartos telkimo klausimas, pristatoma PLB ir Pasaulio lietuvių jaunimo sąjungos bendradarbiavimo raida. Ketvirtojoje dalyje rekonstruojama ir analizuojama PLB veikla sprendžiant lietuvių išeivijos reprezentavimo ir politinio susiorganizavimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The studies of emigrant associations abroad and the development of migrant organizations in the world in historical perspective are very important in the present context of Lithuania. One of the most important émigré organisations is the Lithuanian World Community (Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė), which was established by political refugees with the goal of uniting all the dispersed Lithuanians over the world. This dissertation presents the organizational and political development aspects of the Lithuanian World Community in the 1940s – 1970s. The first chapter features the lessons of the migration policy in the first Republic of Lithuania and the ideas of mobilizing Lithuanians over the world. Colonization’s plans and impact of civic associations to mobilize Lithuanians abroad are explored. In the second chapter it is analysed how the policy of the Western countries influenced Lithuanian mobilization after the Second World War. Secondly, the establishment of the Lithuanian World Community is reconstructed. The third chapter describes the conditions and explains how the Lithuanian communities were established in the countries of immigration. The organizational structure of the Lithuanian World Community board and the development of its relationship with Lithuanian communities are analyzed. The mobilization of the second generation of Lithuanians in the world is investigated. The development of the relations between the Lithuanian World Community and the World Lithuanian Youth... [to full text]

The studies of emigrant associations abroad and the development of migrant organizations in the world in historical perspective are very important in the present context of Lithuania. One of the most important émigré organisations is the Lithuanian World Community (Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė), which was established by political refugees with the goal of uniting all the dispersed Lithuanians over the world. This dissertation presents the organizational and political development aspects of the Lithuanian World Community in the 1940s – 1970s. The first chapter features the lessons of the migration policy in the first Republic of Lithuania and the ideas of mobilizing Lithuanians over the world. Colonization’s plans and impact of civic associations to mobilize Lithuanians abroad are explored. In the second chapter it is analysed how the policy of the Western countries influenced Lithuanian mobilization after the Second World War. Secondly, the establishment of the Lithuanian World Community is reconstructed. The third chapter describes the conditions and explains how the Lithuanian communities were established in the countries of immigration. The organizational structure of the Lithuanian World Community board and the development of its relationship with Lithuanian communities are analyzed. The mobilization of the second generation of Lithuanians in the world is investigated. The development of the relations between the Lithuanian World Community and the World Lithuanian Youth... [to full text] / Gausi emigracija ir naujų lietuvių bendruomenių formavimasis užsienio šalyse sudaro prielaidas tyrinėti ir migrantų draugijų bruožus, ir jų raidą istorinėje perspektyvoje. Svarbią reikšmę turi Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė, įsteigta Antrojo pasaulinio karo politinių pabėgėlių bangos atstovų, siekiant suvienyti pasaulyje pasklidusius lietuvius. Disertacijos tikslas rekonstruoti Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenės organizacinius ir politinius raidos aspektus XX a. 5–8 dešimtmečiuose. Pirmoji dalis skirta apžvelgti Pirmosios Lietuvos Respublikos migracijos politikos pamokas, sprendžiant pasaulyje pasklidusių lietuvių telkimo problemas. Antrojoje dalyje aptariama Vakarų šalių politika sprendžiant politinių pabėgėlių likimą po Antrojo pasaulinio karo ir su tuo susijusi pasaulio lietuvių telkimo idėjų raida nuo kompaktinio emigravimo galimybės iki naujos, visai lietuvių išeivijai skirtos organizacijos (Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenės) sukūrimo. Trečiojoje dalyje aprašomos Lietuvių bendruomenių steigimo atskiruose kraštuose sąlygos ir ypatumai; pristatomi PLB institucionalizavimo aspektai, rekonstruojamas PLB vaidmuo formuojant santykius su atskirų kraštų Lietuvių bendruomenėmis, apžvelgiama tų santykių raida; analizuojamas jaunosios išeivijos kartos telkimo klausimas, pristatoma PLB ir Pasaulio lietuvių jaunimo sąjungos bendradarbiavimo raida. Ketvirtojoje dalyje rekonstruojama ir analizuojama PLB veikla sprendžiant lietuvių išeivijos reprezentavimo ir politinio susiorganizavimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Diaspora invokes a way of living. Geographic displacement, either voluntary or forced, brings about heightened processes of negotiation between the past, the present and the future. Effectively, diaspora creates a space for dialogue about notions of individual subjectivity and group representation, as well as global and local belonging. These processes contribute pivotally to the identity development of diasporic people, and this plays out continually as is evident in the choices diasporic people make about the way they live. This thesis explores one aspect of the lives of elite diasporic Indian families in Singapore - cricket. The central question is how these diasporic people become 'Indian' through their participation in the sport. There are two major components - cricket and family. Firstly, I identify cricket as a site of diasporic negotiation in the lives of these Indians. I explore their practice of this activity as a physical and ideological space in and through which they negotiate their identity. In a country where cricket is not common practice, the Indian domination of the widespread 'public culture' of their country of origin reflects their intensified investment in Indianness. This results in the creation of a minoritized and largely exclusive social space. By participating in cricket, they play out their diasporic Indian identity. This is a myriad process of social construction and transformation of Indianness at individual and collective levels. Through active and concerted social labour in the cricket arena, translation of relevant Indianness into a foreign setting effectively creates a new Indian ethnicity. It is the very negotiation and mobilization of their ethnicity that facilitates the thriving of this elite Indian diaspora. The other major component in this thesis is that of the family in diaspora. This is important because most of the elite Indians moved to Singapore as nuclear family units. Decisions made and the structures of their lives take into account the impact upon the household at individual and collective levels. I explore and highlight the importance not only of families doing diaspora together, but that of the varied individual contributions of family members to cricket and how their various parts support one another's negotiation of their Indianness. Divided broadly into three categories of fathers, mothers and children (male and female), I look at their different ideals, attitudes and involvement in the sport. From my research, I found that fathers were the ideological spearhead and instigators of interest for cricket within families; mothers played support roles; and children participated for a variety of reasons. Boys played because it was deemed the natural thing for Indian boys as it is 'in their blood'. Girls on the other hand, played for a variety of different reasons which differed from their male counterparts. Their participation was a concerted effort in an attempt to get forms of Indianness that are reflected and constructed in cricket, 'into their blood'. This thesis is framed by the concept of doing Indian diaspora in Singapore. I explore the cricket arena as a key site of identity negotiation in three realms - the individual, the family, and the wider Indian network/community. This analysis seeks to highlight the importance of each realm in reinforcing and supporting one another's projects of constant and complex formation processes of Indianness.

The relentless political pressure the Ethiopian government put on Ethiopian journalists, political dissidents and opposition activists drove hundreds of them out of their country. However, after leaving their country, the journalists and the opposition activists remain engaged in the politics of their country of origin through the media outlets they establish in diaspora. Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) and Oromia Media Network (OMN) are two media platforms that have emerged in the United States under such conditions. This dissertation chronicles the rise of ESAT and OMN and their far reaching political influence in Ethiopia. Using mixed method research, it provides their detailed profiles that range from their inception, to their impact on the Ethiopian public sphere and the Ethiopian government’s response to them, to their reporting of political events in Ethiopia. This research makes the case that ESAT and OMN, through the instrumentality of a transnational public sphere have altered the Ethiopian political dynamics during the last five years. Particularly, ESAT and OMN use Facebook and Twitter as a backbone to gather information and foster relationships with news sources inside Ethiopia; they also transmit uncensored information back to Ethiopia via satellite television. In response to their communication activities, the Ethiopian government seeks to undermine the links that ESAT and OMN have in the country by routinely blocking the internet, requesting Facebook and Twitter to take down their content and jamming their satellite transmissions. The Ethiopian government also responds to the reporting of ESAT and OMN by changing its policy positions on domestic political issues. This illustrates that Ethiopian political exiles remain key players of Ethiopian political dynamics in ways that thoroughly exemplify trans-local reciprocity. It also shows that ESAT and OMN might very well be a prototype of a diaspora community media that keeps grievances alive and magnifies ideological differences they brought with them to the United States. / 2021-01-11

A diaspora’s flag is the symbolic representation of that community. The Iranian flag, however, is a contested symbol among the Iranian diasporic community. As this research shows, the Iranian diaspora exhibits its cultural, political, and religious identities through three different Iranian flags. Through qualitative research, entailing months of participant observation and a series of semi-structured interviews, I investigate the underlying reasons for this flag disagreement. Through this research, I argue that an Iranian diaspora’s pre-migration communal history and post-migration environmental factors influence its establishment and maintenance in the host nation. In this study, I revisit the diaspora literature to argue for the complexity of the concept of diaspora. I demonstrate how a diaspora assists the community in restructuring its lost cultural identity and establishing a social space to belong, in the time of the spatial and cultural dislocation. The Iranian diaspora’s flag selection is a symbolic representation of communal establishment and identity formation for the community. The Iranian flag debate indicates a communal divide; it is also an instrument to set social boundaries to develop a community under the symbolic representation of the ancestral homeland. Furthermore, this research explores how the Iranian diaspora uses the Iranian flag as a proxy to indicate socio-communal expectations and intersectional social hierarchies that already exist among the Iranian community. When discussing the flag’s symbolic significance, the respondents relate the flag with three recurring themes of religion, gender, and sexuality. The association of the Iranian flag with these three social factors indicates the communal dynamics of the Iranian diaspora. These communal dynamics establish certain norms and values, but they also redefine each flag based on its socio-political history. The attached meaning to each flag consequently causes tension and disagreement among the Iranian community, which is not solely political. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The Iranian diaspora is a young and growing community that came into existence after the Islamic revolution of 1979. In this diaspora, there are three different flags on display, and each flag represents a socio-political ideology. The symbolic application of the flag facilitates this research in exploring the social interaction among the Iranian diaspora residing in the Greater Toronto Area and York Region. Through the examination of the flag debates, I investigate the significance of community building in the new host nation. I critically analyze the communal divide existing among the Iranian community and the flag debate that is a symbolic representation of Iranian group dynamics. The discussion of the flag for many starts a conversation about community development and socio-communal hierarchy. While the different versions of the Iranian flags bring the diasporic communities together, they also indicate social segregation caused by religious, gender, and sexual hierarchies existing among the Iranian diaspora.

My dissertation is titled "Ethnogenesis, Identity, and the Dominican Republic, 1844-Present." The topic is important because of the centuries-long influences of colonialism where peoples' cultural and political identities are emerging through neo-colonial ideologies. The processes of ethnogenesis are embedded in colonialism-enslavement, ethnocide, genocide, and demographic collapse, to name a few. The expansive nature of imperialism has affected the cultural production of identity, to the extent that ethnogenesis can no longer be understood in isolation within particular societies because it operates in sophisticated networks where multilingual and multicultural factions create and re-create distinct identities through a sense of both history and hybridity.The research that I carried out in this study answered crucial questions relevant to a range of issues in the process of identity formation for a cohort of the African Diaspora in the West Indies. Rather than portraying changes as inevitable movements from colonialism to postcolonialism, I placed identity within a much broader scope of understanding in terms of the impact of historical evidence and material culture in the process of ethnogenesis. Probably the most important aspect of my research for academic circles is that it exemplified an example of identity not commonly associated with people of African descent in the Americas.There are significant numbers of Dominican immigrants living in and coming to the United States. These immigrants are socially located within a parameter of classification unlike anything they encountered in the Dominican Republic. My findings demonstrated that dark-skinned individuals do not self-identify as Black in the Dominican Republic yet when placed in the U.S. Diaspora there is many times no other choice than to be labeled Black along with many of its social implications. My findings also showed that although Dominicans have removed themselves from Blackness, they have not collectively detached themselves from distinct influences of their African heritage.To understand the Dominican Republic from the year 1844 to the present, it is necessary to unfold the intricate conditions present within the parameters of independence and dependence, diversity and sameness, and colonial and neo-colonial ideologies, which simultaneously divide and unite the "Self" and "Other."

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / This work draws on the insights of an anthropology of transnationalism to explore an emergent field of translocal connections, practices and identifications between reformed Vietnam and the post-1975 Vietnamese diaspora in the West. In the post Cold War period, it is argued, we have witnessed a collapse of the geopolitics of exile that once divided diaspora and homeland. In this context, it is not appropriate for Vietnamese migration studies to speak of "two" discrete national and diasporic Vietnamese communities. Rather, the discipline is required to come to terms (theoretically and empirically) with a complex and contradictory field of transnational social relationships through which diaspora and homeland are co-constituted. The thesis charts this field via the study of phenomena such as: the explosion of mobility between Vietnam and diaspora· the emergence of a transnational Vietnamese language commercial music culture; the constitution of translocal Vietnamese urban spaces in the host nations; the enabling of symbolic and market citizenship in a Vietnamese "transnation"; and the flow of overseas Vietnamese "grey" and "green" matter (cultural and material capital) back into Vietnam. Exile and fleturn shows how the state in Vietnam, and elites in the diaspora, have responded to the advent of transnational flows between homeland and diasporic sites by authoring both traditional, border-enforcing and novel, borderexpanding strategies of imagining and governing the "national" community. It argues that overseas Vietnamese have made sense of their own transits to and engagements with Vietnam through a logic of' transnational exilic space" that variously resists and accommodates the claims of capital, the state and diasporic belonging.