Diaspora groups, civil society and development

The Diaspora groups, civil society and development project is led by Dr Sarah Peck and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Working collaboratively with three diaspora groups based in the UK, the research project explores the following questions: 

1. How do historical and contemporary contexts and everyday life shape diasporic engagement in community development and civic space in the UK and transnationally?   
2. How have diasporic communities been created as agents for/of development in the UK, their countries of heritage and within the international community, and how has this changed over time?   
3. How are contemporary diaspora groups engaged in community development and the development of civic space in the UK and transnationally? How do diasporic communities work with other development actors, in particular civil society groups, through their development initiatives?   
4. How is diasporic led development being reshaped by and responding to the contemporary context, for example COVID-19, Brexit, hostile immigration policies and the continued rise of the Black Lives Matter movement? 

The project combines policy analysis, archival research and co-curation, oral history interviewing and digital storytelling to explore the role of diasporic groups in social, political and community development in the UK, their countries of heritage and transnationally, focusing on how this has changed over time. This speaks to wider debates about the migration-development nexus, civic space, and race and belonging in the development context.   

You can find out more about the research and follow updates by visiting the project's dedicated website.