Understanding Diasporas: Definitions, Evolution, and Government Engagement

international migration often results in groups of people who share a common ethnic or national origin residing

outside of those societies migration scholars have thus researched the characteristics and behaviors of

these groups which are commonly known as diasporas here we will look at the origin of this

term how it has evolved over time and how origin country governments engage with their diaspora populations

the term diaspora comes from the greek language with dia meaning between or through

and sparrow which means to show or scatter classical conceptions of diaspora

originated when the term was used to describe the jewish historical experience of dispersal

although it expanded to also encompass the greek and armenian experiences classical definitions of diaspora

eventually came to reflect three reference points first the process of people becoming

dispersed then a community which has been dispersed

and finally the places or spaces where the dispersed live common diaspora definitions you will see

today however are not focused on particular ethno-national groups

instead they focus on group characteristics like in this first definition from marientras

from 1989 which states that a diaspora is a group based on a degree of national or

cultural or linguistic awareness of a relationship

territorially discontinuous with a group settled elsewhere here diaspora groups are those having shared

relationships with a group in a different geographical location the second the more current definition

specifically mentions migration forced or voluntary and allows for a more broad interpretation of the connection between

the migrant populations and their origin society that is veritovex 2009 definition

which explains that diaspora is an imagined connection between a post-migration including

refugee population and a place of origin with people of similar origins

now living elsewhere in the world let's now look at how diaspora definition shifted from classical to modern

viewpoints causes of dispersal for instance were classically viewed as

forced with persecution or suffering of the population as an important point as in the jewish diasporas case but

modern viewpoints recognize voluntary migration as well regarding a diaspora's connection with

its place of origin modern definitions focus on transnational linkages between diasporas

and their origin while classical viewpoints emphasize eventual return migration

to a real or imagined homeland finally diaspora groups classically were not expected to integrate

while modern approaches to diasporas involve host country integration or biculturalism while some definitions

allow groups to name themselves diaspora many institutional definitions exist that externally classify these

groups let's look at examples of this from global regional and national level

institutions the world bank defines diaspora as a foreign-born population

which does not count the offspring of the first generation migrants the african union however takes a

broader approach in saying that the african diaspora consists of people of african origin in its

definition the au further classifies its diaspora as those willing to contribute

to the continent's development finally the scottish government uses a definition for what is commonly known

as affinity diaspora members of this group do not necessarily need scottish family origins because it includes

people who feel a special affection for the country this could be anyone from tourists to

business travelers and so forth within each state or institution's own framework for conceptualizing diaspora

populations there is usually a strategy for diaspora engagement

perhaps the most prominent reason for engagement is that migration can be seen as a challenge to state

authority the more globally dispersed a population is the more challenging they are to govern

states are therefore challenged to maintain their bonds with citizens abroad

diaspora engagement policies are of course unique to each country but there are three broad categories

that these initiatives usually fall under they are capacity building rights extension and obligation

extension starting with capacity building states can maintain ties with foreign

populations by establishing offices abroad such as embassies

these institutional presence in host countries help increase origin government

proximity to diaspora groups capacity building can also be a social or cultural endeavor

via media campaigns and even outreach events and host countries organized by origin governments

rights extensions take diaspora engagement a step further these rights can be political such as

voting rights for diaspora groups even though they do not reside in the origin state

depending on the country some diaspora groups are even eligible to run for political office

origin states can also extend social and civil rights such as advocacy on the behalf of

diasporas in the government special services for returnees would also fall under this category

finally origin countries can give diaspora groups obligations common examples of this are

usually financial for example the philippines debated a bill in 2014

that earned scrutiny for requiring remittance sending from select groups of filipinos working

abroad however this bill didn't pass other examples include diaspora taxes and having to declare foreign earned

income to the origin country's tax authority furthermore diasporas are sometimes

mobilized to promote the origin country government's political agenda from abroad thereby globalizing domestic

politics the definitions rights and responsibilities surrounding diaspora

groups is a richly researched and debated field among migration scholars while a single universal understanding

of diaspora is not a reality right now it is clear how our collective understanding

has certainly evolved over time if you like this video please give it a thumbs up and share it

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