Susan Bergner

This is all to say that colonial continuities might prevail in these very needed networks, thus it makes sense to be aware of such dynamics.

Cited literature
Koinova (2017) Beyond Statist Paradigms: Sociospatial Positionality and Diaspora Mobilization in International Relations
Wilson (2017) Worlds beyond the political? Post-development approaches in practices of transnational solidarity activism

Wilson also point to silencing indigenous histories of resistance + political organisation and reproducing binary narratives about the local activists on one side and development as a homogenous meta-narrative on the other side.

🔍 Looking more closely at networks 🔍

At the same time, cooperation partners for diaspora actors might bring challenges. Wilson (2017) has found that international NGOs in their pursuit of transnational solidarity with local activists are reproducing colonial narratives about 'authentic natives'.

In discussions at the summit, the proposition came up to elaborate this network by reaching out to foundations. Foundations, might thus be a partner with hitherto untapped potential for diaspora influence and visibility, at least in the transnational Afro-German diaspora context.

Koinova (2017) names this condition ‘diaspora positionality in a transnational social field’ & points out that mobilisation & power of diaspora actors may vary according to the context. The 360 Labour Mobility Alliance is an example for a network of diaspora, other civil society + business actors.

🕸 Working more strongly in networks 🕸

Research has already shed light on the fact that diaspora actors shouldn’t be solely seen as actors in between countries of origin and countries of residence because their networks are much more complex.

The text "diaspora networks" is distorted into the shape of a circle. The text "inspired by the African Ambassador Labour Mobility Summit in Berlin" is written in the corner.

Last week, I was at the Africa Ambassador Labour Mobility Summit organised by diaspora organisation Giving Africa a New Face (GAaNF) e.V. and the 360° Labour Mobility Alliance.

One thought from my side: working in and looking more closely at networks.

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The next post will be less abstract I promise, it will give us all some inspiration on how giving back can look like. Hope you enjoy this little academic series, as I do research with diaspora members, it is a vital question for my research.

Used Literature
Cahill Sawyer (2014) Failing to Give Enough
Diver & Higgins (2014) Giving Back Through Collaborative Research
Gupta (2014) Reflections on Giving Back and Giving Thanks

💡 Making research that impacts also communities by translating research findings or contributing t academic credibility of local knowledge or visibility of community issues without of course giving away their knowledge to third parties.

🔄 Self-reflexivity is a key component. Find ways how you can self-reflect in a continuous manner.

ℹ Be informed about your potential site of research including customs, dynamics and hierarchies to avoid obvious ways in which you might do harm or hurt people. It helps often to be as transparent as possible or necessary without overwhelming community members.

💬 Continued dialogue between researchers research partners is key to clear up early misunderstandings for example. This goes hand in hand with investing time to build up respectful and ongoing relationships to establish a rapport and understanding.

The text "Giving Back" and "Success factors" is on the graphic. It is on black, green, blue and pink rectangles. In the middle you have some outlines of pencils, a microphone, a bouquet of flowers and a clipboard symbolising the research and giving back process.

Previous posts in this series explored why giving back is a valuable process, what it means and discussed potential limits and constraints. Today, I want to shed light on potential success factors in the process of giving back to communities that researchers work with.👇

Es gab noch viele weitere spannende Diskussionen, ich freu mich, dass ich dabei sein konnte. Danke nochmal an das Team für die Organisation! Hier findet ihr weitere Infos zum Diaspora Summit: diasporasummit.org

➡ Alles außer schwarz oder weiß: Es geht darum binäre Strukturen aufzubrechen, zu transformieren und diese nicht zu reproduzieren. Daher kann Dekolonialisierung jede Farbe außerhalb der schwarz-weiß Dichotomie annehmen.

In der Gruppenarbeit ging es um Dekolonialisierung und politische Teilhabe.

➡ Weiß: wie ein weißes Blatt Papier, in denen Strukturen und Praktiken neu geschrieben werden können.

➡ Schwarz: Die Strukturen sind von weißen bestimmt, da wir von einer weißen Dominanz kommen, darf nun das schwarz mehr Raum einnehmen.

Die Frage "Welche Farbe hat Dekolonialisierung?" steht auf einem bunten Farbverlauf und ist umgeben von grafischen Elementen wie abgerundeten Vierecken und Sternen.

Welche Farbe hat Dekolonialisierung? Diese Frage kam beim dem Workshop von Lina Fustok beim #diasporasummit2024 in Berlin auf. Und die Reflektionen der Teilnehmenden waren spannend👇

Used Literature
Cahill Sawyer (2014) Failing to Give Enough
Diver & Higgins (2014) Giving Back Through Collaborative Research
Gupta (2014) Reflections on Giving Back and Giving Thanks

Accounting for these limitations should make your decisions more informed and processes of giving back hopefully more meaningful. I understand if these reflections feel a little bit disappointing or frustrating but the next post in this series is about ways how to deal with it. So, stay with me :)

🔄 It sounds basic but is nevertheless true, it’s context-specific. External factors (i.e. visa grants) might hinder to you to give back, be aware of overpromising.
🔨Power relations always play into processes of giving back – it’s about positionality, differences in resources, skills and knowledge.

📊 You cannot measure giving back in a quantitative sense. There might be long-term consequences that you cannot account for. Moreover, it is impossible to return everything in exactly the same way.

🏥 Threats to mental and emotional health should be considered the limit of giving back processes, it is about finding the right balance. Things can become challenging and this is okay, at the same time; researchers shouldn’t get a burn-out from my point of view.

💸 Material and mental resources, skills and time are factors that can affect your capacity to give back. Often research projects lack time and financial resources to sufficiently account for giving back.

Before diving into practical questions, it is worth to pause and reflect upon possible constraints that might affect your personal level and experience of giving back.

Maybe it's clear for you as a researcher that you want to give back. Maybe it is clear for you as a community member that you want something in return for offering your time, energy & knowledge.

Giving back in research settings is a continuous process between researchers & community members. The previous post in this series explored why giving back is such a valuable process & what it means. Today, I want to talk about the limits & constraints that are attached to processes of giving back.

Cited Literature
Banerjee (2023) Performing Agency in Shrinking Spaces
Gülay, Prügl & Zwingel (2013) Feminist Strategies in International Governance
Della Porta & Steinhilper (2022) Contentious Migrant Solidarity