Opposition from afar: How Lebanese and Iraqi diasporas challenge their homeland regimes
Name of applicant
Anne Kirstine Rønn
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
London School of Economics and Political Science
Amount
DKK 1,922,816
Year
2024
Type of grant
Reintegration Fellowships
What?
This project examines how members of Lebanon’s and Iraq’s diaspora communities challenge their home countries' regimes through indirect means such as social entrepreneurship, cultural engagement, and charitable work. The project sets out to explore the nature of indirect diasporic opposition and explain how and under which conditions it can be a successful strategy to foster change.
Why?
While existing research has focused on more direct forms of diaspora opposition, such as voter mobilization, this project shows how diasporas can challenge their homeland regimes without engaging in open confrontation. Thereby, it offers new insights into the potential of diasporas to promote peace, stability, and democratization in deeply divided and authoritarian societies like Lebanon and Iraq.
How?
The project consists of two parts. In the first part, I develop a definition that allows us to distinguish indirect diasporic opposition from other forms of diaspora engagement. In the second part, I conduct two in-depth case studies, exploring how Lebanese and Iraqi diaspora members have engaged in indirect opposition, based on data from project documents, social media platforms, and interviews.