Understanding diaspora

A concept that has changed

The concept of “diaspora” has changed significantly, carrying both historical depth and contemporary relevance for global development and multilateral cooperation. Originally meaning “to scatter” or “to sow across”, in today’s interconnected world the word represents a dynamic cross-boundary force that reaches far beyond mere migration.

A diaspora is more than just a population of emigrants; it is a community of people living outside their ancestral homeland who maintain a strong social, economic, cultural and political connection to their country of origin. This connection transforms scattered individuals into a collective entity with a shared identity and a vested interest in the welfare of their homeland. A diaspora acts as a bridge between its country of origin and its country of residence, facilitating the flow of resources (capital, labour force, knowledge and culture) across borders.

A diaspora comprises members of a community dispersed across diverse localities beyond state borders, who retain contextual and contingent identities vis-à-vis their host societies, maintain an interest in a “homeland” as a source of value and loyalty, and are connected through networks of social organization.

Three core attributes

Community

Variations in shared identities that balance adaptation to host societies with boundary maintenance, allowing for dynamic expressions of belonging rather than fixed or static ones.

Multi-locality

Patterns of dispersion and social relations spanning multiple sites, fostering “looping effects” in which countries of origin and residence mutually influence and change communities, through knowledge or cultural exchanges, for example.

Networks

Social organizations with varying degrees of institutionalization, enabling action, interaction and communication, from emergent groups to well-established ones.

Why the distinction matters

This framework positions diaspora not as passive displaced groups but as active entities engaging with multiple localities, linked by ever-changing relationships. On this basis, diaspora differs from general migration: it emphasises meaningful, ongoing communal ties that can be mobilised for collective causes.

Understood this way, a diaspora represents a powerful social and economic opportunity for both the country of origin and the country of residence, and a responsibility for the national institutions that serve it.