Diasporas as development partners for peace? The alliance between the Darfuri diaspora and the Save Darfur Coalition

Toward New Knowledges in Development: New Actors and Alliances

“…As Budabin (2014) explains in the policy space possible for some diaspora groups and not others, 'not everyone is a good speaker', and as Ponte and Richey (2014) illustrate, those whose stories do not compel, do not sell. But critical scholarship is beginning to scrutinize what is being 'sold' under the guise of marketing 'development' as 'sexy' (Cameron and Haanstra, 2008).…”

“…Blowfield and Dolan's (2014) definition of what makes a development agent). The character and scale of 'investors' in development differs, ranging from Bill Gates (McGoey, 2014) to the Darfuri Diaspora (Budabin, 2014), but the premise of investment for developmental activity as a criterion for acting as agents of development is the same. However, Blowfield and Dolan's (2014) other criteria for defining agency in development -pro-poor primacy and accountability -are much more difficult to meet for many of the new actors and alliances in development.…”

New actors and alliances in development

“…Budabin lends weight to the argument that transnational networks, with their presumptions of legitimacy, 72 rely to a large extent on their ability to furnish compelling stories. 73 As also argued by Keck and Sikkink, the information flows from and around these alliances 'provide not only facts, but testimonystories told by people whose lives have been affected'. 74 Brockington, however, suggests that celebrity testimonies may be even more important than those of the affected: 'When public figures handle interviews they can speak with more conviction and ease, they are able to tell stories of people they met, adding much more colour'.…”

Transnational social capital: the socio‐spatialities of civil society

“…Diasporic groups are now increasingly recognized as development actors and this recognition gives their role a certain complexity (Mohan 2008;Mullings 2012). Budabin (2014) points to the difficulties that diasporic groups may face in trying to gain political access, while Mohan (2006) argues that such groups in Ghana are too place dependent and reluctant to challenge an overbearing state. Budabin (2014) points to the difficulties that diasporic groups may face in trying to gain political access, while Mohan (2006) argues that such groups in Ghana are too place dependent and reluctant to challenge an overbearing state.…”

“…Mercer et al (2009) challenge assumptions about the greater power of the diaspora compared with more localized relations in the activities of home-town associations in Tanzania. Budabin (2014) points to the difficulties that diasporic groups may face in trying to gain political access, while Mohan (2006) argues that such groups in Ghana are too place dependent and reluctant to challenge an overbearing state. Civil society actors in the Caribbean, however, actively maintain and develop relationships with Caribbean nationals in the diaspora that go beyond the provision of financial support for their work.…”