Doctoral Dissertation Research: Diasporas' Participation in Social Change

在2011年和正在进行的“阿拉伯之春”期间，利比亚、也门和叙利亚出现了反对独裁的革命。然而，反政府活动并不受国界的限制。这些国家在美国和英国的侨民也动员起来支持革命，但随着时间的推移，他们的方式截然不同。学者们认为，西方民主国家的跨国侨民运动可以而且确实以重要的方式塑造家园冲突。然而，现有的研究并没有系统地分析侨民如何在危机期间动员起来援助各自的祖国。这类研究也没有比较散居国外者运动在一段时间内的努力，或解释其集体行动动力和在本土冲突中的作用的变化。因此，本研究项目解决了以下问题：1）侨民如何动员起来支持祖国的革命，以及2）为什么他们各自的运动和影响力的潜力有显着差异，特别是在范围，强度和他们的收集行动的持续时间？本研究将通过对这些国家的散居者在美国和英国的反政权运动进行深入的比较案例分析来解决这些问题，使用了对活动家的200多个原始访谈，以及散居者倡导组织的公开声明和行动呼吁。将使用定性分析软件对数据进行编码，以便了解散居者流动的范围、强度和持续时间。本研究将使用常数比较法，检验解释运动动力学的理论推导命题，并在实证分析的基础上完善这些论点。本文以社会运动动员理论为基础，提出形成反政府运动轨迹的四个主要因素：1）反政府活动家群体的传记和基于身份的特征; 2）祖国暴力镇压的速度和程度; 3）散居者国内环境带来的相对机会和限制;（四）投入反政府力量的资源类型。研究结果将用于扩展和完善跨国社会运动，侨民动员和社会变革的理论。

During the 2011 and ongoing "Arab Spring" period, revolutions against dictatorships emerged in Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Anti-regime activism, however, was not constrained by state borders. Members of these countries' diasporas in the United States and Great Britain also mobilized to support the revolutions, but did so in very different ways over time. Scholars argue that transnational diaspora movements in Western, democratic states can and do shape homeland conflicts in significant ways. However, existing studies have not systematically analyzed how diasporas mobilize to assist their respective homelands during crisis periods. Nor have such studies compared diaspora movements' efforts over time, or explained variation in their collective action dynamics and roles in homeland conflicts. This research project, therefore, addresses the following questions: 1) how do diasporas mobilize to support revolutions in the homeland, and 2) why do their respective movements and potential for influence differ significantly, specifically in the scope, intensity, and duration of their collection actions?This research will address these questions with an in-depth comparative case analysis of these countries' diasporas' anti-regime movements across the U.S. and Britain using more than two hundred original interviews with activists, as well as the public statements and calls to action produced by diaspora advocacy organizations. The data will be coded using qualitative analytical software in order to discern the scope, intensity, and duration of diaspora movements. Using the constant comparative method, this study will test theoretically-derived propositions explaining movement dynamics and refine these arguments based on the empirical analysis. Based on theories of social movement mobilization, it is proposed that four primary factors shape anti-regime movement trajectories: 1) the biographical and identity-based characteristics of the anti-regime activist community; 2) the pace and degree of violent repression in the homeland; 3) the relative opportunities and constraints posed by diasporas' domestic contexts; and 4) the types of resources channeled into the anti-regime effort. The findings will be used to extend and refine theories of transnational social movements, diaspora mobilization, and social change.