With the increase in International migration, migrants and diasporas contribution and engagement with their countries of origin has seen growing focus from academics, policymakers, governments and other stakeholders. This has been especially the case in the development sector where remittances form a sizeable percentage of some low-income country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Official remittances data suggest that in 2016, migrants sent an estimated US$441billion to developing countries, a figure three times the size of official development aid. Beyond remittances, there are numerous examples through which the linkage between diaspora and migrants and countries of origin contribute to poverty reduction and economic growth. With the proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, there is a growing interest in how diasporas are utilising these tools to facilitate transnational knowledge transfer, skills, and social change. This paper examines the use of ICT tools by diaspora organisations in the United Kingdom to engage in international development or/and community development in the UK and discusses the incorporation of information and communication technologies, focusing on the potential of ICTs to assist development at a micro and macro-level, and the effectiveness of these approaches in realising the potential of information communications technology for development (ICT4D). In examining the role and importance of societal factors - specifically structure, agency and social capital- the research adopts Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice as the theoretical framework., building on the concepts of the duality of structure and agency. This study is situated between three themes that are emerging on their own right but rarely married in development literature- Diaspora, Transnationalism and ICT4D - the case-studies presented in this paper suggest that a range of limiting factors in both host country (i.e. funding, skills) and global South countries (local partners capacity, infrastructure, and affordability) leads to programmes and initiatives by diaspora organisations more often being limited by ICTs rather than being facilitated or driven by the technology itself.

The problem this dissertation engages with is the role of state-defined pathways available for ‘legal’ Caribbean migrants to South Africa, to effectively become South African citizens through practices of assimilation; enabling them to claim citizenship, and thus belonging to a new national community. The concept of a singular, state-defined citizen, a conception that has dominated academic debates over the last hundreds of years, is today challenged by the activities and presence of migrants from everywhere in nearly every place. This new and contemporary dynamic is prompting scholars to conceptualise other images of belonging, images that transcend, move beyond, stretch and displace the centrality of national borders in defining citizenship. One view shifts the source of citizenship rights from the state to the individual, bringing to the fore a cosmopolitan or post-national citizenship. Conversations concerning the significance, or lack thereof, of the state in migration share a tendency to analyse migration from the macro-level that the state represents and interpret individual actions and outcomes from that point of view. In this dissertation I address the problem by investigating the lived experiences of immigrants, and analysing from the micro-level of individuals and their families, in order to understand their relationship to the meso- and macro-levels available within the wider society. In the process, I illuminate the pathways that are available to ‘legal’ Caribbean migrants as they seek to deepen their belonging to a new national community whilst retaining their connections to other national and transnational communities. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Anthropology and Archaeology / MSocSci / Unrestricted

The aim of this thesis is focused on demonstrating the strong influence that Galician immigrants exerted on the Argentinian society at the beginning of the 20th century. In this transatlantic literary study, the bonds between the old and the new continent will be established by analysing some of the authors who became affected by immigration and exile conditions: Xosé Neira Vilas, Luis Seoane and Alfonso Rodríguez Castelao. The thesis will also examine the Argentinian literature related to immigration, and how some relevant authors accepted or rejected stereotyping. Both views, the one from exiles and the one from local authors, were blended in order to study the mutual influence that both cultures have had upon each other. There has not been much research regarding literary links between Galician and Argentinian authors, therefore the main purpose of this work is to search for connections among different writers from both sides of the Atlantic. In addition, the thesis analyses the importance of mainstream ideas such as nation, transnationalism and transculturation, and how these concepts have changed throughout history due to common experiences of migration and exile.

This thesis aims to understand, in the case of the Czech people living along the borders, the extent to which they are, and have become, more "internationally minded" in recent decades. Three theoretical approaches to understand the attitudes of those living along the boundaries are identified as the Realist Securitisation, Liberal Openness and Bordering as a Process paradigms. Descriptions are presented of the historical and demographic nature of the Czech borderlands as well as developments in Czech politics and attitudes to foreigners in the last two decades. Detailed regression analysis at the level of 6,300 individual municipalities is undertaken to empirically test the theoretical paradigms and to control for other factors so as to understand the specific impact of the boundary on the attitudes of those living alongside it. The formation of attitudes is a complex process in which history still seems important and not all interactions with foreigners are seen as improving attitudes towards them. However, against a backdrop of lower support for EU integration and greater concern over immigration in the Czech Republic as a whole, open borders since accession to the EU have coincided with border dwellers becoming in many, but not all, cases less Eurosceptic and less opposed to migrants than is...

<p>This dissertation examines the transnational realities of Russian immigrants in the United States. Drawing insights from personal accounts, I discuss immigrants’ motives to immigrate to the United States and to stay connected to their homeland. I illustrate that political and economic factors, as well as the goals to enhance professional and personal lives, have shaped immigrants’ decisions to come to the United States. At the same time, I show that determined to fulfill their social and civic responsibilities, Russian immigrants maintain ties to their families and friends back in Russia and also remain civically engaged in Russian society.</p><p></p> <p>This dissertation also illustrates that a more intricate understanding of Russian immigrants today cannot be achieved in isolation from the political relations between Russia and the United States that have been rapidly deteriorating since 2014. There are different ways that Russian immigrants respond to the geopolitical divide between the two nation-states. Some Russian immigrants, for example, condemn Russia’s foreign policy and global political behavior. Their criticism is often met with hostilities from Russians who have not emigrated. Other Russian immigrants, on the other hand, disapprove U.S. actions toward Russia and Russian society and consequently encounter antagonisms in the United States. These immigrants recount their experiences of exclusion from the U.S. social fabric. There are also those Russian immigrants who question international acts of the political leaders of both countries. Coping with antagonistic attitudes from Russian and U.S. societies toward their political views and/or ethnic background, these individuals emphasize a growing detachment from both nations. Based on individual accounts, I argue that the contemporary tensions that have emerged between the two nations-states create a barrier to the development of a transnational identity among Russian immigrants. Specifically, living in a hostile political environment, Russian immigrants do not share a simultaneous sense of belonging in relation to Russia and the United States. </p> <p>By focusing on Russian immigrants’ experiences with U.S.-Russia relations, this dissertation also brings to light individual efforts to contest confrontations that shape the political landscape between Russia and the United States. As transnational subjects with cross-border ties and lives, Russian immigrants utilize their transnational positions and cultural competencies to impact international views of Russian and U.S. nationals. They frequently resort to transnational dialogues and socio-cultural acts to raise social awareness and sympathies between their home and host nations. By developing and investing their efforts into improving U.S.-Russia ties, the ultimate goal that Russian immigrants seek to achieve is to discourage members of Russian and U.S. societies from seeing each other as enemy nations. </p>

This thesis focuses on different forms of national identity of the first generation Czech migrants in Vienna from the perspective of transnational theory. It is based on analysis of thematically oriented biographical interviews with the group of 15 immigrants. The data come from research conducted in spring 2015 in Vienna. Firstly, the thesis summarizes the history of migration from Czechoslovakia to Austria. Secondly, the concepts of transnationalism, identity and transnational identity are explained as they serve as theoretical basis for the research methodology and analysis of data. First part of analysis explores topics important for decision, whether it is possible to designate the migrants as transnationals. These topics and practices include language, relation toward Czech Republic, political participation, interest in culture, traditions, gastronomy, social contacts, discrimination and loyalty, feelings of pride and shame and citizenship. The second part of analysis introduces the different forms of national identity based on self-understanding of migrants. Following this, the examples of respondents and organisations show the transnational identity of some of them which is based on their lived identity and everyday practices.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this thesis is to examine the integration of the Somali immigrants in Sweden and to explore the factors that impede or help in the process. The study in particular aims at looking at how culture, identity and migration form immigrants’ integration experiences. It will further explore the communication barriers with, mainly; the government institutions from the perspective of Somalis and how removing these barriers could help improve the situation.The thesis also discusses the theories of transnationalism, cosmopolitanism, immigration, and integration in relation to communication for development and social behaviour change.Qualitative research methods have been selected to explore the experiences of the Somali immigrants integrate into the wider Swedish community through the use of semi-structured interviews. The Somali immigrants have good networks among themselves in Sweden, and with home country, however they do not manage to establish a good networking with the Swedish society. The outcome of this study implies that most immigrants feel that there are communication barriers in the way to a better integration. Through the use of qualitative research in semi-structured interviews with selected Somali immigrants from various backgrounds, the study shows that there are many issues that might help the community to integrate into Sweden and proposes some recommendations on how the situation could be improved.

The key question that this paper seeks to answer is (1) To what extent are Zimbabweans living in London, in the United Kingdom involved in transnational activities to their country of origin? To try to answer this question I have carried out quantitative analysis of primary data gathered in London and the results show that the Zimbabwean migrants are actively involved in transnational activities to their country of origin. Contact with family and sending money home seem to be the most carried out transnational activities than others. In the context of this research project, transnational activities will encompass those falling under the socio-cultural domain such as maintaining family ties with relatives in origin country, the economic domain such as sending money to family in origin country and the political domain such as voting back in origin country.

The strict family reunification policies in Norway and Denmark have affected many individual’s family life. Individuals currently struggle to be reunited with their non-EU family members because of strict requirements. For some, moving to Sweden can be a solution due to their more liberal reunification policies. This paper analyses how family reunification policy in Norway and Denmark has affected the lives of those who relocate to Sweden. The method that was used for the analysis was the interviewing method. In the theoretical framework transnationalism was applied, and it focuses on the connection transnational migrants have with three countries at the same time. The transnational perspective illustrates the different obstacles transnational migrants face. The analysis showed that the reasons individuals relocated from Denmark and Norway was because of age and income requirements, deportation and suspect of arranged marriage by the migration agencies. The analysis also showed that distance relationship, distant parenthood, social belonging and identity helped shape the individual’s life.

Excavations at the Mary M. B. Wakefield Estate in rural Milton, Massachusetts produced an assemblage of household artifacts linked to the Byrnes family, a first-generation Irish-American family who lived in the estate’s farmhouse in the early twentieth century. Though the Byrneses were born in America, they were part of the Irish Diaspora, a community defined by its place outside Ireland yet connected to their homeland and to each other through the self-identification as a member of a diaspora, termed a diasporic consciousness. Through a focus on everyday household practices, I examine how members of the family formed their social identities by balancing the appeal of Americanization with the pull of their Irish heritage. Archaeologists studying the Irish Diaspora have largely focused on the nineteenth-century urban Irish immigrant experience. By reconstructing Milton’s Irish landscape in this period through documentary evidence and spatial analysis, I expand on previous studies by exploring how geographical context and generational status shape the creation and maintenance of a diasporic consciousness. I find that the Irish in Milton, and particularly the Byrnes family, had far less access to the traditional social, cultural, and economic features of urban Irish immigrant enclaves of previous generations, such as the presence of churches, Irish-owned stores, voluntary associations, and Irish neighborhoods. Analyses of artifacts related to foodways and dining, personal adornment and dress, and childrearing and children’s play demonstrate alternate strategies that the Byrnes family used to maintain traditional aspects of Irish society. They purchased specific types and quantities of tableware and beverages needed to fulfill the customs and traditions of Irish hospitality, and infused their daily lives with Catholic devotional rituals and childrearing beliefs. But while they engaged in Irish cultural and religious traditions, they did so within larger household practices that expressed their adoption of American ideals of respectability and refinement, thriftiness, morality, efficiency, and hygiene. By setting a formal table, wearing refined dress, and executing appropriate infant care, the Byrnes constructed a domestic sphere that enabled them to form their own version of respectable Irish-American identity that remained even after they left the farmhouse.