Competing for Lebanon's Diaspora: Transnationalism and Domestic Struggles in a Weak State

Wendy Pearlman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Just as state strength influences relationships between state and society and among social forces within a national territory, so does it shape relationships between states and their emigrants and diasporas across territorial borders. Scholars debate how transnational migration affirms or challenges the dominance of the nation-state. When sending states are weak, however, diaspora-homeland linkages can undermine the role of the state in a way that is not transformative, but sustaining of the status quo. Examining Lebanon, this paper explores how domestic actors extend their struggles to vie over and through kin abroad. Three realms of competition are paramount: demography, votes, and money. The resulting transnational outreach reproduces a politics in which both expatriates and the state function as resources as much as actors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)34-75
Number of pages42
JournalInternational Migration Review
Volume48
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Demography
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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