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Exiled populations – who increasingly
refer to themselves as diaspora communities – hold a strong stake in
the fate of their countries of origin. In an increasingly
interconnected world, they engage in 'long-distance politics' towards
their homelands, send financial remittances and support social
development in their communities of origin. Transnational diaspora
networks have thus become global forces shaping the relationship
between countries, regions and continents.
DIASPEACE is a multi-disciplinary
research project that seeks to generate evidence-based and
policy-relevant knowledge about the ways in which diasporas play into
the dynamics of conflict and peace in their countries of origin. The
empirical focus of the project is on the Horn of Africa – a region
where decades of violent conflict have resulted in state collapse and
the dispersal of more than two million people. The social, political
and financial remittances towards this region are significant: in the
case of Somalia, for example, it has been estimated that remittances
exceed both development aid and export revenues. The project follows
the activities of diaspora networks in Europe and in the Horn of Africa.
The distinctive added value of this
project lies in the following five dimensions:
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Exploring a
new inter-disciplinary field of social science research;
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Developing
and testing a multi-sited methodology, which allows for cross-checking
of data and a transnational approach to research;
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Taking
careful account of the sensitivities of the topic at hand, consciously
avoiding falling into either an idealised or a pessimistic approach to
diaspora activism;
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Connecting
the diaspora communities at grass-root levels with policy-makers and
international actors at higher levels of the policy ladder and
facilitating their cooperation;
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Drawing
upon the existing networks of researchers which have been built over
several years of research with diaspora communities.
The project will produce a wide range of
deliverables, including working papers, articles in scientific journals
and books, seminars and workshops, policy papers, an interactive
data-base and a handbook/toolkit.
Diaspora organisations are explicitly
invited to provide critical input and comment on the ongoing research.
This can be done through the 'For diaspora organisations' window below.
In the course of the project, a number of workshops will be organised
to facilitate constructive dialogue between dispora groups and relevant
civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and state
actors.
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