The European Union (EU) has long strived to act collectively in the face of international challenges such as poverty, hunger and state fragility beyond its borders. While the EU member states and institutions seek coherent responses to these challenges, they also have partly competing agendas. Yet there has been increasing agreement on collective action. To understand this agreement, this thesis asks how policy professionals contribute to the advocacy of policy norms for collective action between the EU institutions and the member states. The research analyses policy processes in EU development cooperation since the early 2000s. In development cooperation the EU's effectiveness has been particularly contested because of the combination of competing ideas about the EU's role and about how to achieve effective and sustainable development. The research finds that, while formal decisions about collective action remain in the hands of member states, transnational networks of policy professionals in the EU institutions, member state bureaucracies and civil society contribute to shaping the terms of debate regarding the EU's role in effective development cooperation. These network interactions, which form around institutional decision-making centres, transcend the organisational boundaries of member state bureaucracies, EU institutions and civil society organisations. These findings fill a gap in our understanding of how EU norms governing collective external action are advocated as existing research has tended to focus on how institutional structure facilitate state coordination. By concentrating on the cases of Germany and the United Kingdom and their engagement with the EU institutions, the research revises existing, dominant views on norm advocacy in EU external action: It links the previously little related concepts of norm advocacy and discursive networks to analyse the agency and scope of policy professionals in the advocacy of EU policy norms; and it provides new empirical insights into the role of these policy professionals for collective action between the EU institutions and the member states in development cooperation.

Studies indicate that Latina/o immigrant youth engage in a wide range of sophisticated literacy practices outside of school that are often transnational, crossing various linguistic, cultural, and social spaces. Technology has further afforded immigrant youth the opportunity to develop transnational capabilities which are rare in the mainstream population, yet needed in the 21st century of global connectedness. However, Latino immigrant youth drop out of school at disproportional rates, suggesting that their literacy practices are not recognized or valued by the educational system. Using a New Literacy Studies perspective that recognizes multiple literacies that are meaningful within their sociocultural traditions, this collective case study investigated the range, form, and purpose of the out-of-school literacies of four Latina/o adolescent English Learners who are new arrivals. The qualitative methodology employed constructivist interviews, digital and actual artifacts, and observations. Findings demonstrated that the most prevalent out-of-school literacies the participants practice take place on the social networking site of Facebook, in their workplaces, and through the entertainment media sources of music and television. A cross-case analysis suggests that the literacy practices in these spaces have unique and purposeful roles for the individuals that allow them to connect to their home countries and maintain their Latina/o identities. Additionally, the participants use their out-of-school literacy practices to acquire English, support themselves, and establish a place to succeed. The five aforementioned spaces that their Facebook, workplace, and entertainment literacy practices fill are virtually absent from their in-school literacies. This study suggests literacy pedagogy and research must not continue to impose a narrow monolingual, monocultural, monoliterate, and monomodal view of Latina/o immigrant students which essentially divests them of their greatest resources. Their literacy practices demonstrate that they are transnational, transcultural, emergent bilinguals who competently engage in multimodal means of communication across multiple linguistic, cultural, social, and geographic borders. Educators must reconceptualize school-based literacy to account for the ways immigrant youth make meaning outside of school to provide them a more equitable education that will nurture their transnational skills needed in modern society.

ABSTRACT The thesis investigates how transnational familial ties and socio-cultural dynamics shape migrants‘ remitting behavior and inform their relationships. It shows that most research on remittances fails to capture the personal and social significance remittances have for migrants, embedded not only in their transnational social relations, but also in cultural contexts. Drawing on empirical qualitative and quantitative research amongst Congolese migrants in Johannesburg, the study argues that migrants remit mainly in a bid to escape social death by fostering familial belonging and sustaining social status. It shows that socio-cultural influences and internalized social stereotypes about the economic effects of emigration shape migrants‘ awareness of the role expectations their communities of origin hold in relation to them. This internalization of role expectations subjects migrants to such a social pressure that they often feel a compelling need to be perceived as financially ―successful‖ as well as ―valid‖ and ―good‖ family members – not only in their communities of origin but also among other migrants. In this context, remittances become a fundamental measure and criterion that shapes migrants‘ sense of belonging and social and familial inclusion or exclusion. For individual migrants, remittances play an essential instrumental role portraying positive images for themselves and, at the same time, are seen as a means to avoid social stigmatization and exclusion.

En s’inscrivant dans le champ des études transnationales, cette thèse souhaite analyser l'évolution de la politique d’attention menée par le Viêt Nam à l'égard de ses exilés (Việt Kiều) de 1945 à 2009. Il s'agit d’étudier, à travers le prisme du concept de nationalisme à distance (ou nationalisme transnational), comment ce Parti-État est entré en interaction avec son champ migratoire afin de l’associer à la réalisation de ses desseins nationaux. La première partie de cette thèse expose les raisons pour lesquelles la République démocratique du Viêt Nam (RDVN) (1945-1976) a, dès sa création, intégré les exilés vietnamiens à son processus de construction nationale pour ensuite les solidariser à son effort de guerre. Dans la seconde partie, nous verrons que la paix revenue, la désormais République socialiste du Viêt Nam (RSVN) rencontre des difficultés pour faire évoluer ses relations avec les exilés (1975-1992). Ces hésitations, freinant la concrétisation d’une politique pragmatique au service du développement économique du pays, s’expliquent essentiellement par l’anticommunisme virulent qui s'est développé dans la communauté outre-mer. La troisième partie s’attache à exposer les moyens mis en œuvre (diplomatiques, médiatiques, juridiques) par le Viêt Nam pour normaliser sa présence au sein des communautés vietnamiennes outre-mer (1992-2009). Nous verrons en conclusion qu’en deçà des ses réserves idéologiques et sécuritaires, le Parti-État vietnamien a sans cesse porté de l’intérêt aux Việt Kiều et s’est efforcé d’adapter son nationalisme à distance en fonction de ses besoins et des caractéristiques de son champ migratoire. / In the field of transnational studies, this thesis aims to analyze the evolution of Vietnam's policy towards its exiles (Việt Kiều) from 1945 to 2009. It is to study, through the concept of long -distance nationalism (or transnational nationalism), how this Party-State interacted with its migratory population in order to incorporate it into the make it part of the national goals. The first section of this thesis explains why the Democratic Republic of Viêt Nam (DRVN) (1945-1976), from its inception, integrated the Vietnamese exiles into its national construction process in order to have them join in its war effort. In the second part, we will see that with the return of peace, the country known from this moment on as the Socialist Republic of Viêt Nam (SRVN) encountered difficulties advancing its relations with the exiles (1975-1992). These setbacks, hindering the realization of a pragmatic economic development policy for the country, can be largely explained by the virulent anticommunism that developed in the overseas community. The third part aims to explain the means (diplomatic, media, and legal) used by Vietnam to normalize its presence in the Vietnamese communities overseas (1992-2009). In conclusion, we will see, despite its ideological and security reservations, that the Vietnamese Party-State has always been interested in the Việt Kiều and has sought to adapt its concept of long-distance nationalism according to its needs and the characteristics of its migratory population.

In my dissertation I critically analyze and evaluate how the Turkish nation and culture is `performed' and `constructed' in two Turkish Festivals in Chicago: The Chicago Turkish Festival and The Chicago Turkish World Festival. I examine what this representation suggests about the complex national and cultural identity politics the Turkish Diaspora negotiate, with both their native and adoptive countries. My study draws on theories of nationalism and transnational nationalism, as well as critical cultural studies concepts including the `tourist gaze', (cultural) `spectacle', and `internal colonialism.' Because nationality festivals are public demonstrations involving a mass audience, my dissertation investigates how representations of Turkey (visual and verbal) are dependent upon the images and narratives popular among the American audience that are targeted. In an era of globalization, the cultural representation of Turkey in these two Turkish festivals in Chicago is used for political and commercial ends to: a) form good relations with the local U.S. state officials and to help lobby for the Turkish community in Chicago; and b) open up new means of income for local artists and entrepreneurs as well as transnational businesses that attend these festivals from Turkey and other countries. The Turkish American cultural organizations, The Turkish American Cultural Alliance (TACA) and the Turkish American Society of Chicago (TASC), that organizes these festivals, in many ways take part in nationalism from abroad (transnational nationalism) when they promote the official national discourses of the homeland and receive material and moral support from the Turkish Consulate of Chicago and the Tourism and Culture Ministry in Turkey. My dissertation demonstrates how Turkey's representation in these festivals by the two leading Turkish American organizations have become dependent on both European Orientalist discourses of the Ottoman Era that are internalized by the Turks today, as well as the very singular and monolithic nationalist discourses of the Turkey's founding fathers. I include a historical analysis of Chicago's Turkish community, including the way it was represented at Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893 (Chapter 2), an ethnographic analysis of the Turkish American organizations that have organized the Turkish festivals in Chicago (Chapter 3), and a critical analysis of activities and live performances that take place at both festivals (Chapter 4 & 5). My methods of study are field note observations, interviews conducted with the festival organizers and volunteers, and surveys conducted with festival participants. My research reveals that although the two Turkish American organizations, TACA and TASC, use similar national and cultural narratives, symbols, and representations, they differ in their choice of glorifying either Ottoman history or the history of the Turkish Republic, and on the degree to which Islam constitutes Turkish culture and national identity. This serves political ends as it reflects the ongoing political debates in Turkey over what social and cultural identities make up the Turkish nation.

This dissertation studies the transnational interactions of Deaf Americans in a transnational Deaf public sphere from 1870-1924. Deaf Americans advanced a discourse of co-equality in which they asserted their ability to participate in society as Deaf-- and as deaf-- people.

Cette thèse examine la façon dont les migrants soudanais aux Pays-Bas et au Royaume-Uni organisent leur protection sociale, pour eux et leurs familles au Soudan, localement et au-delà des frontières. Dans notre monde globalisé, de plus en plus de personnes vivent au-delà des frontières nationales, développant des attaches et des responsabilités dans plus d’un État-nation. Toutefois, les systèmes de protection sociale formels traditionnels ont été conçus pour répondre aux besoins de populations sédentaires liées à un seul pays. Dans ce contexte, cette thèse examine les stratégies que les migrants développent pour couvrir leurs propres besoins de protection sociale et/ou ceux de leurs familles, englobant une série d'éléments formels et informels provenant de différentes institutions (États, marchés, organisations du tiers secteur ou réseaux sociaux informels). En prenant la famille élargie comme unité analytique principale, cette thèse montre que même si certaines ressources formelles sont disponibles pour des individus migrants, elles peuvent ne pas correspondre aux choix privilégiés pour la protection sociale de leur famille. En prenant en considération le contexte soudanais, cette thèse souligne l’importance des normes socio-culturelles du pays d’origine sur la manière dont le soutien intra-familial, en particulier les soins, doit être fourni. Cette thèse est basée sur les données collectées durant 14 mois d'ethnographie multi-située conduite avec des migrants aux Pays-Bas et au Royaume-Uni, et leurs familles au Soudan. / This dissertation investigates how Sudanese migrants in the Netherlands and the UK, and their families back home navigate their social protection, locally and across borders. In our current globalised world, more and more people choose or are pushed to live across national borders, developing attachments and responsibilities in more than one nation-state. Yet, the traditional formal social protection systems have been envisaged to cater for sedentary populations, tied to one single country. Against this backdrop, this dissertation investigates the strategies that migrants develop to cover for their own and/or their families’ social protection needs, encompassing a series of formal and informal elements from different institutions (e.g. states, markets, third-sector organisations or informal social networks). By taking the extended family as the main analytical unit, this dissertation shows that even though certain formal resources are available for individual migrants, they might not be the preferred option for the family’s social protection. By including the Sudanese context, this dissertation points to the importance of the sending country’s sociocultural rules on how intra-familial support—especially care—should be provided. This dissertation is based on the data collected over 14 months of multi-sited and partly matched-sample ethnography across the Netherlands, the UK and Sudan where the migrants and their families live.

As the international community takes increasing action to mitigate the effects of climate change, increased focus has been placed on the topic of energy transitions in developing countries. This paper uses the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework to analyze the ongoing energy transition in Mongolia, specifically the integration of large-scale wind and solar energy systems. Attention is paid to the presence of transnational linkages and intermediaries that have substantially contributed to Mongolia’s success in diffusing renewable energy technology, as well as challenges Mongolia has faced as a result of limited technological and institutional capacity. The paper concludes that Mongolia’s transition shares many similarities with other developing countries’ transitions, in that transition dynamics are highly influenced by exogenous actors and interests, rather than traditional factors as described by the MLP.

Transnational security threats are among the most pressing and complicated problems facing both governmental and non-governmental actors in today's world. Human trafficking is one example of contemporary transnational security threat that is relatively less studied compared to other transnational security threats. Because transnational security threats such as human trafficking exist above and outside the boundaries of state control, it may be supposed that a greater degree of supranationalism in the policy responses to them would yield better results in combatting these modern-day ills. Anti-trafficking efforts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union are examined to assess the impact of degree of supranationalism present in the respective policy responses to determine if any advantage is gained from aligning supranational policies to transnational problems. This question is not answered conclusively due to a lack of supranationalism present in key areas of EU governance responsible for law enforcement efforts.

In this thesis, I am interested in transnational feminist scholarship and dialogue. Through close readings of Helena Maria Viramontes's texts, I place her writing in conversation with several transnational feminist scholars and themes. I begin with home, a frequently discussed topic within transnational feminism, as the experiences of diasporic and migrant populations challenge the notion of home. I locate the multiple homes presented in Viramontes's texts, arguing that these homes are unreliable spaces for their residents. I then consider male characters and masculinity in Viramontes's stories, as these men significantly influence the homes of women. In Viramontes's later texts, some of these characters support the women in their lives, as well as embrace the multiplicity of masculinity. I also explore invisibility and hypervisibility, two themes which figure prominently within transnational feminism and Viramontes's texts. Viramontes makes visible women, workers, and youth, challenging their invisibility and hypervisibility. In my analysis, I include Viramontes's two novels, Under the Feet of Jesus (1995) and Their Dogs Came With Them (2007), as well as two short stories, "Growing" (1983) and "The Jumping Bean" (1992). By analyzing these works, which were published over a period of twenty four years, we can more intricately see Viramontes's exploration of transnational feminist themes.