Echoes of Inception: The Historical Roots of Diaspora Mobilisation

• In Event: The Politics of Diasporic Mobilization and Repression

Abstract

This paper delves into the enduring impact of initial diaspora formation characteristics on subsequent diaspora mobilization. While existing research predominantly adopts a synchronic lens, examining how political opportunities and mobilizing structures influence an emigrant group's immediate readiness to mobilize, I argue for the value of a diachronic approach where earlier instances of transnational collective action in lay the foundation for current events. I develop this argument through a comparative study of the Chilean, Argentine and Brazilian diasporas, highlighting the unparalleled transnational mobilisation of Chileans exiles amidst the analogous historical backdrop of dictatorships during the 1970s. This distinctive mobilisation is attributed to the creation of transnational activist networks and a unifying frame during the diaspora's formation—elements lacking in the Argentinean and Brazilian cases. Focusing on the Chilean diaspora, I then show how the transnational networks and cohesive frames were crucial to remobilisation in 2019, underscoring the lingering impact of initial mobilisation disparities on diaspora mobilisation opportunities today. By emphasizing the prolonged significance of mobilizing structures established at the diaspora's genesis, the paper contributes to our understanding of diaspora mobilisation by offering new insights into the factors that drive transnational political action. Through its focus on historical legacies, it also addresses a notable gap in theorizing within diaspora mobilization studies, where the prospect of (re)mobilization has so far been overlooked.

Author

• Juliette Saetre, European University Institute