Other News

Dr. Maria Koinova Edits a Special Issue "Diaspora Mobilizations for Conflict and Postconflict Reconstruction: Contextual and Comparative Dimensions" with Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

This special issue seeks to move the scholarly conversation beyond notions of conflict-generated diasporas as simply agents of conflict or peace. The field is ripe to unpack the notion of context for diaspora mobilisation in International Relations, the focus and novelty of this special issue. Theorising in this volume goes beyond current prevalent thinking that contexts are host-states in which diasporas live, and original home-states to which they are transnationally connected. The emphasis here is that diasporas have linkages to different contexts, and that their embeddedness in these contexts – simultaneously or sequentially in time – either shapes their mobilizations or is shaped by them. The volume theorises about spatialities and temporalities of diaspora engagement: it emphasises spatial notions such as multi-sited embeddedness, positionality, and translocalism on the one side, and temporal notions such as critical junctures, transformative events, simultaneity, crises, and durability of conflicts on the other. This collection further adds new thematic areas to current scholarly inquiry, opening the discussion beyond interest in diaspora remittances, economic development, and extraterritorial voting. The authors take little-explored paths to examine diasporas as agents in transitional justice processes, contested sovereignty, and fragile and de facto states, as well as in civic and ethnic-based activism.

The introduction to the special issue is available in temporary open access at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1354152

A short video featuring individual contributions of the papers by the following authors is available to view at the bottom of the page.

David Carment and Rachel Calleja: "Diasporas and Fragile States – Beyond Remittances. Assessing the Theoretical and Policy Linkages";

Maria Koinova: "Critical Junctures and Transformative Events in Diaspora Mobilization for Kosovo and Palestinian Statehood"

Elizabeth Mavroudi: "Deconstructing Diasporic Mobilization at a Time of Crisis: Perspectives from the Palestinian and Greek Diasporas";

Matthew Godwin: "Winning Westminster-Style: Tamil Diaspora Interest Group Mobilization in Canada and the UK";

Camilla Orjuela: "Mobilizing Diasporas for Justice: Opportunity Structures and the Presencing of a Violent Past";

Dzeneta Karabegovic: "Diaspora and Transitional Justice: Mobilization Towards Youth and Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina";

Cindy Horst: "Making a Difference in Mogadishu? Multi-sited Embeddedness Among Young Norwegian-Somalis and Somali-Americans";

Marie Godin: “Breaking the Silences, Breaking the Frames: A Gendered Diasporic Analysis of Sexual Violence in the DR Congo.”

Maria Koinova: "Critical Junctures and Transformative Events in Diaspora Mobilisation: An article in JEMS"

Applications are invited for an indefinite Assistant Professorship in Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at the University of Warwick. The position is open with respect to specialism within political theory, but preference will be given to candidates who are able and willing to teach modules addressing historical political thought.

For more information, and to apply, please see: https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?owner=5062452&ownertype=fair&jcode=1727017&vt_template=1457&adminview=1

Dr Ben Richardson gave evidence to the International Trade Committee in the latest session of its inquiry on Trade and the Commonwealth: Developing Countries. The session was focused on the sugar trade, with Dr Richardson appearing alongside industry representatives from AB Sugar and Tate & Lyle Sugars.

In an article for openDemocracy, PAIS PhD researcher Ragnar Weilandt argues that Zimbabwe’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa might bring socio-economic improvements, but is unlikely to usher in a new era of democracy.

We are delighted to announce that Professor Anderson has been appointed as a joint Professor in Politics and Economics and he will be the new Director of PPE at Warwick. His research focuses on the micro-foundations of markets and democracy and examines how economic and political structures shape citizens’ judgments and behaviours. He has written on the popularity of governments and the legitimacy of political institutions, the link between welfare states, income inequality, and citizen behaviour, and the political behaviour of immigrants. Most recently, Chris was Professor of Government and Labor Relations at Cornell University; currently, he is also a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. Thanks to all PAIS colleagues who attended Chris’ job talk in January and to Simon Caney for representing PAIS on the appointment panel chaired by the Provost.

We are also delighted to confirm that Dr Jessica Di Salvatore will be joining PAIS as an indefinite Assistant Professor in Political Science and Peace Studies. Jessica earned her PhD from the University of Amsterdam and was conducting research at the University of Oxford as British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow before joining Warwick. She mostly researches on conflict dynamics and peace missions, with a particular focus on UN peacekeeping in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her current project aims at investigating whether UN missions are suitable for re-building states after civil wars. In particular, she is interested in the impact of external interventions on economic development, governments' legitimacy and socio-political engagement of citizens. She is thrilled to be joining PAIS and looks forward to meeting colleagues in person soon! Thanks to all those who attended Jessica’s job talk in March and to Vincenzo Bove and Arzu Kibris for representing PAIS on the appointment panel chaired by Matt Nudds.

We look forward to welcoming both Chris and Jessica to PAIS at the beginning of May.