Digital Diasporas and International Development: Afghan-Americans and the Reconstructions of Afghanistan

Research and Event Summaries

Project Abstract

Digital diasporas, diasporas organized on the Internet, offer potential to contribute relevance, representativeness, and responsiveness in meeting development needs. Following a brief overview of thorny dilemmas the changing international development industry faces, the paper discusses diasporas and their current role in international development, and examines the potential mobilization and communication benefits afforded by the Internet. Three organizations of the Afghan-American digital diaspora are described, representing a range of development activities and intentions. Two sets of propositions are presented: those for digital diasporas seeking to promote effective development contributions, and those for actors in the traditional international development industry.

Faculty

Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, The George Washington University

Events

Digital Diasporas, Identity, and International Policy Processes (DIP)2
Globalization Brown Bag, November 2003

Publications

Digital Diasporas and Human Rights: Strengthening National Governments
Occasional Paper, CSGOP-02-22

Globalization, the Internet, and the Voluntary Sector: the Emergence of Cyber-Grassroots Organizations
Occasional Paper, CSGOP-03-25

The GW Center for the Study of Globalization
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