The Diaspora and Homeland Development Conference is an initiative of the "Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology" that aims at understanding and promoting the capacities of diasporic communities for economic development in thier homeland. Contemporary diasporas, because of their skills, wealth, and transnational networks, have become a new engine for cooperation between hostland and homeland.
Statement of the problem
In the recent past, a large number of immigrants have left their homeland to resettle in the US for various reasons: religious persecution, poverty, political instability, natural disasters, family reunification, entrepreneurial pursuits, higher education, job transfers, and employment. Unlike 19th century immigrant communities that were impeded by a lack of rapid transportation and the nascent communication system, the new diasporas are able to operate at times in both the homeland and the hostland because of the availability of digital technologies and cheap air transportation.
Numerous diasporic organizations exist in the United States whose role is to contribute to the economic development of their villages or countries of birth. These organizations finance specific projects in their homeland (the construction of a hospital or school); lend the skills of emigrants to promote good agricultural practices (effective planting techniques, the establishment of silos or storage facilities, and cooperative market practices) in their villages; sponsor school children through scholarship competitions; or help local government agencies in the art of good management.
Diasporic organizations have developed a wealth of experience through their activities in the field and have had to do it, in most cases, through trial and error. What has resulted is a large group of diasporic organizations with varied experiences, some more successful than others. What is urgently needed to channel these resources is, on the one hand, an examination of these transnational cooperative practices among various groups of immigrants, so as to share the lessons learned with others, and in the process, to facilitate some inter-organizational dialogue. On the other hand, local governments need to understand how these organizations work so that they may accommodate their interventions in the homeland. A major problem encountered so far has been the stumbling blocks that have hindered the ability of diasporic organizations to operate successfully in the homeland as benevolent organizations (inability to access imported goods at the customs office, additional government taxes, and security of helpers). They are also hampered by the fact that most of them are not incorporated as non-profit organizations in the homeland. While some organizations have been able to solve these logistic problems, others have not been so successful.
In the process of implementing projects in the homeland, diasporic organizations have confronted some obstacles and have identified ways in which some of these can be resolved. First, organizations have discovered the need to learn from the experiences of others (the organization of the group, its methods of fund raising, its organizational strategies in the country, and its main development goal). Secondly, they have established the minimal organization needed in the area of intervention so that any project can be discussed with the locals and their collaboration can be sought out. Finally, they have acknowledged the need for the local government to accommodate these efforts so that the work can be carried out without undue government interference.
The Project
The Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information proposes to examine these issues, analyze various models of economic cooperation between diasporas and their homelands, and develop a series of practical recommendations to enhance the success of these development schemes.
In order to achieve these ends, the Center proposes to organize a conference in Spring 2004:
To review models of economic cooperation between diasporas and homelands. This discussion will identify the types of organizations, the modus operandi, the forms of intervention in the homeland, and the accomplishments of these organizations since their inception. Of course, a distinction will be made between those that intervene in the political arena to enhance the practice of democracy and improve human rights, and those that are more directly involved in economic development matters (agriculture, education, health).
To assess the strengths and weaknesses of these models, so that experiences can be shared among various groups of immigrants. This will help each group to assess what needs to be done differently or needs to be amplified, as the case may be. This is aimed at bringing new ideas to the table, so that appropriate actions can be taken by those in search of a new vision or new ways to improve their methods of intervention in the homeland.
To discuss intersectoral practices of these diasporic organizations to assess the level of ongoing cooperation, competition and conflict between similar organizations. Here one can think of the participation of diasporic individuals in more than one organization or the intervention in the same village at the same time for different purposes by two or more diasporic organizations. Do these organizations develop and implement joint projects, do they have joint fund raising events or do they have their offices in the same building?
To determine what roles the state has played in facilitating (or hindering) the local intervention of these diasporic groups in the economic development of the homeland. What needs to be done by the local government to accommodate these extralocal actors for the benefit of the local population?
To ascertain how the locals view the intervention of these non-state actors. What is the nature of the problems brought about by these interventions often framed abroad with the expectations that the locals will collaborate or that these projects meet their expectations? How do these projects fit with the projects of the national government?
To analyze how diasporic organizations make use of information technology (the Internet, for example) to enhance their productive capacities in the performance of their activities in the homeland. Are there any cases of IT- enhanced projects that can be singled out and studied to assess performances?
To discover what lessons we have learned from the examination of diasporic organizations that can be useful to other such organizations, the local state, funding agencies, and the homeland's and hostland's governments. What can be proposed to strengthen the effectiveness of these organizations so that they can improve their strategies of action and make substantial contributions to the economic development of their homeland?
The Plan
The Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology will serve as the incubating niche for this conference as it intends to invite researchers to share their knowledge and experiences. These researchers will be identified on the basis of their previous or current works on diaspora-homeland economic cooperation ventures. The Center will also invite practitioners who can talk about their experiences, who can articulate the problems or pitfalls as they see them, and who can propose ways of resolving these issues. These practitioners will be identified among diasporic organizations in New York City and the Bay Area.
Diasporic organizations in the United States and Canada, representing Latin American, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, South Pacific, Asian, and African countries, have been identified for this symposium. Representative samples of organizations from these countries will be studied in-depth by way of focusing on the structure, the goals, the strategies, and the projects of these institutions, and their relations to local groups in the homeland.
Justification of the Project
In the past, too much emphasis has been placed on the conflict aspect of the diasporic condition and not enough on the aspects of collaboration. 9/11 reminds us of the disparity between rich and poor nations, the vulnerability of states because of the worldwide mass immigration to the advanced industrial countries, the instability of third world democracies, and the need to build bridges between the West and the Rest. The diaspora-homeland connection is a natural one that needs to be sustained and used for the integration of diasporas in their country of residence and the economic development of their homelands. While the research is about a specific set of countries, it will be useful to engineer needed changes in the operation of other diasporic organizations as well. This will provide a ground for discussion among practitioners and public policy analysts.
A second goal of this initiative is to entice graduate students to focus their attention on these transnational modes of economic development, to provide them with some background in the diaspora/globalization studies field, and to expose them to the public policy debate in this area.
Timetable
Eight researchers will be invited to address the topic of diaspora-homeland development practices in Haiti, the Philippines, Mexico, Israel, Palestine, Morroco, India, and Nigeria. Each will prepare a lecture to be delivered on the UC Berkeley campus for the benefit of graduate students, faculty, and diasporic organizations in the Bay Area. A student will be hired for the detailed management of the project.
(co-sponsored by Martin Sanchez-Jankowski, Center for Urban Ethnography)
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