In search of a Rohingya digital diaspora: virtual togetherness, collective identities and political mobilisation

Abstract

Frequently called the most persecuted minority in the world, the Rohingyas have suffered systematic violence and oppression in Myanmar since the 1970s. Today, the vast majority of the nearly three million Rohingyas are in exile, escaping state-sponsored human rights violations and persecution in the Rakhine state of Myanmar—a place they call “home”. Neighbouring Bangladesh, which currently hosts over a million displaced Rohingya, has been a ‘sanctuary’ for at least the last four decades. A sizable community has also emerged successively in other South-East Asian countries and pockets of Australia, Europe and North America. In this context, bringing together issues at the crossroads of (im)mobilities, online connectivity and the quest for identity, this study examines the role of social media platforms in forming and shaping new types of diaspora activism among the exiled Rohingyas. Drawing on yearlong online ethnographic findings, it unpacks how digital platforms constitute a space for togetherness, where diasporic Rohingya identities are constructed, contested and mediated. Analysing recurring themes and patterns of engagement on these web-based platforms, the paper looks at how diasporic civic and political e-activisms are transforming the very contours of Rohingya identity formation and their pursuit of recognition. Finally, focusing on such a creative constellation of socio-cultural and political issues in virtual space, we demonstrate how Rohingyas practice a politics of resistance and recognition when confronting the policy pretensions of Myanmar’s government.

Digital Diaspora Activism at the Margins: Unfolding Rohingya Diaspora Interactions on Facebook (2017–2022)

“…As a “digital diaspora in the making” (Ansar & Khaled, 2023, p. 3), the interactions of the Rohingya community on Facebook bring myriad features—a testament to the growing nexus between social media and forced migration. The interpretive analysis of the selected FB posts and interactions suggests that topics discussed on Facebook predominantly feature content related to Rohingya identity and their political mobilization.…”

“…Nevertheless, such manifestation may “engender a cathexis between a community of believers and a people joined by suffering” (Abraham & Jaehn, 2020, p. 1058). Such crisis framing through a religious lens may obscure the slender yet significant boundaries between religion and ethnicity in cementing the Rohingya identity and future ethnic and political reconciliation (Ansar & Khaled, 2023, p. 7).…”

“…The emerging digital technologies and their access to information and communication routinely transgress traditional boundaries and dislocate the everyday understandings of space, borders, and belongings (Latonero & Kift, 2018; Mainsah, 2014). Through multi-layered exchanges across a broader spectrum, digital space redefines the contours of cultural formations, interpersonal relationships, and a sense of belonging (Ansar & Khaled, 2023; Clothey & Koku, 2017).…”

“…In exile as well, Rohingyas’ everyday lives are characterized by (im)mobility regimes, dependencies, and lack of representation, stemming from their statelessness, ambiguous legal status, and inadequate protection policies in the host countries; the vast majority of them are not the signatories to the United Nations (UN) 1951 refugee convention (Ansar & Khaled, 2023). The hegemonic governmentality by the host countries and the inability to return to Myanmar put them in a situation of spatial, economic, and social immobility.…”

“…In recent years, a handful of studies have made significant strides to map the growing digital footprint of the Rohingya community. On the one hand, they reveal how technological affordances have reinvigorated a collective Rohingya identity, created a sense of virtual togetherness, provided digitally mediated transnational care, and facilitated political mobilization to internationalize their plight (Ansar & Khaled, 2023; Aziz, 2022a, 2022b). On the other, they reveal the gendered dynamics of displacement (Ansar & Khaled, 2022) and the practices of civic resistance manifesting self-identification and political consensus building along ethnic and religious lines (Abraham & Jaehn, 2020).…”