Migration and philanthropy: Understanding giving in the context of diaspora

Consortium for Comparative Research on Regional Integration and Social Cohesion (RISC)
Working Group on Development Equity and Social Cohesion

At the start of the 21st century, migration has been identified by supranational organizations, such as the OECD, the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as a key component of development strategies. The rich, the poor and those in-between move; it seems that migration has not left anyone untouched as the globalization has fostered mobility and circular economies. This phenomenon has generated significant wealth created and transferred across boundaries by migrants. Remittances either in financial or social forms have included those with philanthropy in mind. Diaspora philanthropy, at times called ‘homeland philanthropy’ and ‘transnational giving’, is the transfer of resources by migrants to their country of origin in the framework of traditional philanthropy but it is characteristically conditioned by the contingencies of human mobility. What happens when migration melds with philanthropy, defined as the love of humanity? For what reasons do migrants give and what kind of reciprocity do they foresee in the act of giving? Is diaspora philanthropy a proof of the widening inequalities between migration destinations and developing nations? Or is it an attempt to equalize the asymmetries? Does it indicate attachment to home countries or does it symbolize discontent amongst migration with sending states that are often ineffective in terms of social protection? These questions need to be unpacked and discussed if migrations continue to be central in our globalized world and philanthropy remains a key activity of those in diaspora.

Through this interdisciplinary call for papers, the editors invite contributions that explore themes on migration and philanthropy in their varied articulations. Country case studies are an important contribution to the growing literature but we also encourage submissions with substantive theoretical focus or comparative analyses. While the following themes dominate the current discussion on diaspora philanthropy, submissions outside these topics are also welcome:

1. Diaspora philanthropy and migration-development nexus
2. Continuities and divergences between diaspora philanthropy and ‘traditional’ philanthropy
3. Diaspora philanthropy as exercise of citizenship
4. Economic, social and cultural transmissions through philanthropy
5. Diaspora philanthropy as exceptionalist ideology
6. Gender and giving: who are the philanthropists among migrants?
7. NGOs, international organizations and states in the promotion of diaspora philanthropy
8. Critiques of diaspora philanthropy as global governance strategy
9. Policy coherence for development and diaspora philanthropy

Interested authors should send a 500-word abstract of the proposed article and a short biography to the editors before 1 September 2014. Selected proposals will be announced one month later and will be asked to submit the full original manuscript before 30 December 2014. The edited volume will be released in mid-2015 and published by the Consortium for Comparative Research on Regional Integration and Social Cohesion (RISC) based in the University of Luxembourg as part of their book series.



For questions and submissions:

Dr. Shirlita Africa Espinosa, shirlita.espinosa@uni.lu
and/or
Prof. Harlan Koff, harlan.koff@uni.lu