-
2 Migration, Info. Tech.
- University of Nevada Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
39 2 Migration, Information Technology, and International Policy jennifer m. brinkerhoff As other chapters in this volume illustrate, diasporas’ use of the Internet yields important consequences beyond cyberspace. Diasporas are increasingly recognized for their potential contributions to homeland socioeconomic development. These contributions include economic remittances, diaspora philanthropy, knowledge transfer, diaspora investment and business development, and policy influence (see Brinkerhoff 2008b). Diasporas may also threaten global security, as they promote and may participate in regime change and contribute to and sustain conflict in their home countries, increasingly with spillover effects into neighboring countries and the global arena. In their host societies, diasporans integrate to varying degrees of success . Those who fail to integrate into the host culture and become socially, economically, and politically marginalized may be vulnerable to recruitment into violent activities (Hernandez, Montgomery, and Kurtines 2006; Galtung 1996).Those who lack a collective identity have been described as “psychologically desperate” and easy prey for terrorist organizations who seek to fill this psychological void (Taylor and Lewis 2004, 184). The Internet plays a role in each of these potential activities. It can provide an important foundation for the collective identity necessary for purposive action and the prevention of recruitment into violent activities (Brinkerhoff 40 d i a s p o r a s i n t h e n e w m e d i a a g e 2009). The interactive components of the Internet enable the creation of cyber communities that connect dispersed populations and provide solidarity among members. Members use discussion forums to disseminate information about the homeland faith or culture or both, to reinforce or re-create identity to make it more relevant and sustainable across generations in diaspora, and to connect to and participate in homeland relationships, festivals, and socioeconomic development. Members’ discussions may reflect diasporas’ embrace and experimentation with liberal values, which inform conflict mitigation, political agendas, and homeland socioeconomic development contributions (ibid.). Furthermore, the Internet is a tool for mobilizing this collective identity into action. It is an organizational and networking resource for assembling and communicating among individuals and groups, for providing information and referrals to other actors; furthermore, it facilitates issue framing and confidence building. Results of mobilization agendas can be posted and disseminated to inspire continued commitment and subsequent mobilization. Diaspora identity expression and transnational engagement occur with or without policy interventions, and in those areas where diasporas’ economic and political contributions are less noticeable, we are likely to see fewer, if any, government policies and programs. One such area is in the digital arena. The purpose of this chapter is to build upon our cumulative understanding of digital diasporas to generate a series of policy recommendations for homeland governments, adopted country governments, and international development actors. These recommendations build largely from my own comparative analysis of nine digital diaspora organizations (ibid.). adopted country governments Migrant integration can be eased when diasporans have opportunities to express their hybrid identities collectively. The Internet provides important opportunities for creating a sense of identity and solidarity around a shared cultural heritage and diaspora experience. The communities created serve to combat feelings of marginalization among diasporans, providing them identity and other forms of support as they cope with the diaspora experience . This identity support, in turn, enables diasporans to integrate new ideas, values, and experience into their identity frame of reference, testing the boundaries for what it means to their homeland identity as well as a potentially more modern and individualistic adopted country identity. At the same time, digital diasporas are important vehicles for disseminating information and advice for accessing public goods and services and easing the transition from newly arrived migrant to productive member of the host society. [52.90.181.205] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 12:11 GMT) m i g r a t i o n , t e c h n o lo g y, a n d p o l i c y 41 The Internet’s conducive features for identity negotiation and representation of liberal values (in both form and function) are important contributors that should be sustained and protected. The motivation to express identity is natural and common to all human beings. Whether addressed in cyberspace or in the physical world, diasporans face a psychosocial need to develop and express their hybrid identities and to experiment with the integration of alternative and additional values and conceptions, including those representing liberal values. Given hybridity, affirming the homeland identity and even talk of return do not mean that diasporans do not...