Transnationalism as a Social Resource among Diaspora Communities

Research project funded by the Academy of Finland (no 295417). The project studies transnational ties and practices of immigrant and diaspora communities. It provides information about the processes whereby social resources can bridge the divide between migrants’ new home countries and societies of origin. This project examines how social resources are mobilized as social or political action among members of diaspora communities both in the societies of settlement and departure. The case studies include Filipino migrants in Finland and their family members back home; second generation Kurds active in Kurdish diaspora organisations in Finland and France; and Finnish migrants in Western Europe and North America. The results provide information on the scope, nature and intensity of migrant communities’ transnational engagements in or towards Finland. It also sheds light on the structural factors that impede or facilitate the creation and maintenance of such engagements.