The ‘Iranian Diaspora’ and the New Media: From Political Action to Humanitarian Help

Abstract

This article looks at the shifting position of the ‘Iranian diaspora’ in relation to Iran as it is influenced by online and offline transnational networks. In the 1980s the exilic identity of a large part of the Iranian diaspora was the core factor in establishing an extended, yet exclusive form of transnational network. Since then, the patterns of identity within this community have shifted towards a more inclusive network as a result of those transnational connections, leading to more extensive and intense connections and activities between the Iranian diaspora and Iranians in Iran. The main concern of the article is to examine how the narratives of identity are constructed and transformed within Iranian (charity) networks and to identify the factors that contribute to this transformation. The authors use the transnational lens to view diasporic positioning as linked to development issues. New technological sources help diaspora groups, in this case Iranians, to build virtual embedded ties that transcend nation states and borders. Yet, the study also shows that these transnational connections can still be challenged by the nation state, as has been the case with recent developments in Iran.

Past, present and future: how the Lithuanian Diaspora in the Netherlands accumulates human capital from social capital

“…In so doing, this study contributes to debates on social capital activation in Diasporic networks (Akcapar 2010;Ghorashi and Boersma 2009;Thaut 2009), providing a more nuanced understanding of the integration drivers and inhibitors among a growing group of migrants.…”

“…To get established in a new host setting and to maintain their national identity, migrants often forge connections with fellow natives. In so doing, migrants generate 'Diaspora communities' (Ghorashi and Boersma 2009), which refers to the development and maintenance of strong personal and physical links to their homeland (Kilduff and Corley 1999;Safran 1991), established with co-natives in a new host setting (De Lange 2013).…”

Survival and integration: Kachin social networks and refugee management regimes in Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles

“…Knowledge of such development in the Kachin case contributes to discussions of social capital activation in 'diasporic networks' (Akcapar 2010;Ferguson et al 2016;Ghorashi and Boersma 2009) by showing that social capital is not just transferred from the homeland to be reconstructed in a host setting, but refugee migrants can mobilise social capital in an intermediate setting to use in a subsequent host setting. Furthermore, the Kachin case shows that social capital can be activated into not only financial or human capital, as other studies detail (Ferguson et al 2016), but also into access to and status within state immigration and welfare systems.…”

“…First, it focuses primarily on processes in and between an origin and destination, lacking analyses of network formation and social capital mobilisation in intermediate locations. While literature on transnational and diaspora migrant networks has emphasized their multi-sitedness (Ferguson et al 2016, Ghorashi andBoersma 2009), it is with regard to "homeland" connections to various "host settings" and not transitions from intermediate (and tenuous) host sites to permanent ones. Works on refugee !…”

“…However, the ties of individuals connect not only various "hostlands" to the "homeland" but also to the tenuous communities in KL. Furthermore, these are respective networks that are connected through individual and family migration trajectories rather than a web of coordinated institutions, as is the case with, for example, diaspora charity networks (Ghorashi and Boersma 2009). Though broader, more interactive transnational networks may exist, as Pastor Hka's Kachin network activities and the web presence of Kachin support groups, churches, and news organizations indicate, they do not appear to be integral to the resettlement process in question.…”