Diaspora mobilisation in a conflict setting Citation for published version (APA): Ragab, N. J. (2020). Diaspora mobilisation in a conflict setting: The emergence and trajectories of Syrian Diaspora Mobilisation in Germany. Boekenplan. https://doi.org/10.26481/dis.20200424nr Document status and date: Published: 01/01/2020 DOI: 10.26481/dis.20200424nr Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. 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DIASPORA MOBILISATION IN A CONFLICT SETTING: THE EMERGENCE AND TRAJECTORIES OF SYRIAN DIASPORA MOBILISATION IN GERMANY DISSERTATION to obtain the degree of Doctor at Maastricht University, on the authority of Rector Magnificus, Prof. Dr. Rianne Letschert, to be defended in public on Friday, 24 April 2020, at 10.00 hours By Nora Jasmin Ragab Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Khalid Koser Prof. Dr. Melissa Siegel Assessment Committee: Prof. Dr. Ronald Skeldon (Chair) Dr. Maria Koinova (Warwick University) Prof. Dr. Arjen Leerkes Dr. Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University) Abstract The study of the nexus between diasporas and conflict has received rising interest over the last decades, as diaspora groups are increasingly recognised as important agents in the international political arena. Recent research has moved away from an impact-oriented analysis towards the understanding of diaspora mobilisation as a process. Rather an independent variable, diaspora is treated as a dependent variable, allowing researchers to investigate how the process of diaspora mobilisation is influenced by the transnational political opportunity structure, i.e. factors in the destination, origin and transnational context. It is therefore necessary to understand the various configurations in place that shape the nexus between diaspora mobilisation and conflict. Taking Syrian diaspora mobilisation in Germany as a qualitative case study, this dissertation sheds light on the underlying factors and their intersections that shape the trajectories of the complex process of diaspora mobilisation in conflict settings. The research makes use of inductively developed multi-level analysis to examine the interconnectivity and interaction of different factors at the micro and macro levels and to investigate how these shapes the trajectories of the diaspora mobilisation process (meso-level analysis). As a result, the primary research question guiding the study is: How does the interplay of individual characteristics, group dynamics and the transnational political opportunity structure shape the trajectories of Syrian diaspora mobilisation in Germany? The central argument of this dissertation is that diaspora mobilisation in conflict settings should be understood as a dynamic process in which structures and diaspora agents co-construct each other. Acknowledging the agency of diaspora actors, the study explores how diaspora political entrepreneurs individually and collectively negotiate the transnational political opportunity structures present in the mobilisation process. While transnational repression historically prevented bottom-up diaspora mobilisation, the Syrian revolution gave birth to a vibrant civil society both at home and abroad that challenged the prevailing authoritarian system. As the conflict escalated, diaspora groups filled the void to support local NGOs inside Syria in the absence of formal institutions of humanitarian assistance. Even though conflict lines were reproduced in the diaspora space, diaspora political entrepreneurs engaged in acts of solidarity and promoted common spaces for empowerment to overcome divides. With increasing displacement to Germany, diaspora actors provided a safe place of community and belonging to those forcibly displaced by the conflict. Hence, diaspora actors showed considerable agency in shaping the transnational political reality, by transforming political spaces both in the contexts of origin and destination. V Acknowledgements The path towards finalising this dissertation has been extremely adventurous, an exciting journey, which has been both tremendously challenging and highly rewarding. A time where I was confronted with many uncertainties, but also with a space to grow on a lot of accomplishment. The completion of this dissertation is thanks in a large part to the precious people, who accompanied me on this way. I am happy for the opportunity to thank them all for their endless patience, encouragement, and support. I would like to start with thanking my supervisors Prof. Dr. Khalid Koser and Prof. Dr. Melissa Siegel for their valuable support, encouragement, patience and constructive critiques throughout the duration of this PhD project. Melissa, I am extremely grateful that you offered me the opportunity to start my academic path as a team member of the migration group and for your encouragement to embark on this exciting PhD journey. Your profound confidence in me as a researcher from the very beginning, the opportunities to engage in various research projects, as well as your advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule, not only encouraged me to believe in my abilities but also enabled me to gain enriching experiences in various contexts. Dear Khalid, thank you very much for allowing me to freely develop my research and for taking the time to supervise my research despite the long distance. Your encouraging feedback and always motivating words, as well as your professional guidance offered me the emotional support much needed during this challenging journey. I am grateful to the members of the reading committee Prof. Dr. Ronald Skeldon, Dr. Maria Koinova, Prof. Dr. Arjen Leerkes and Dr. Ilse van Liempt, for your valuable, critical and highly constructive comments on the previous draft of this thesis. Your feedback not only allowed me to significantly improve my dissertation, but also motivated me to reflect critically on future research projects. A special thanks to my colleagues and dearest friends Elaine and Eleni for the countless hours we spent discussing my thesis findings and for the endless encouragement along the way. The finalisation of this dissertation would not have been possible without your valuable thoughts, support, guidance and friendship. This PhD would not exist without all the people who took the time to participated in the interviews of this study. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met you and I am more than thankful that you shared your experience, thoughts, views and knowledge with me on this complex and difficult topic. Your hopes, dreams and tireless engagement were the most valuable sources of inspiration and motivation for my dissertation. VI Acknowledgements I would like to extent my gratitude to those, who assisted me during my field work, especially in the process of data collection, the transcription of interviews and other research support. In particular, I would like to thank Laura Rahmeier, not only for the invaluable assistance in transcribing the interviews, but also for sharing with me your thoughts and reflections on the data collected. A special thanks also to Amer Katbeh for your research assistance, valuable feedback and guidance that helped me to contextualise my findings further. This dissertation makes use of data and insights arising from research commissioned by several external stakeholders, such as Danish Refugee Council, the Centre for International