report and proceedings - ignou · the recent development discourse in academics as well as the...

Diaspora and DevelopmentProspects and Implications for Nation States

7th-8th September, 2011

Organised BySchool of Extension and Development Studies

School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary StudiesIndira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

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Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairswww.overseasindian.in

Sponsored by

Indian Council ofSocial Science Research

International Conference

Indian Council forCultural Relations

Reserve Bank of India

Report and Proceedings

About IGNOUIndira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was established by an Act of Par-

liament in 1985 (Act No.50 of 1985). IGNOU, the National Resource Centre for Open

and Distance Learning with international recognition and presence, provides seam-

less access to sustainable and learner-centric quality education, skill upgradation

and training to all by using innovative technologies and methodologies and ensur-

ing convergence of existing systems for massive human resource required for pro-

moting integrated national development and global understanding. Irina Bokova,

the Director-General of UNESCO in her key-note lecture on the occasion of the Silver

Jubilee of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), 2009 in New Delhi

described IGNOU as “a living embodiment” for building inclusive knowledge soci-

eties in a globalised world.

School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS)SOEDS was established in 2007 with an aim at providing quality education and train-

ing in various aspects of extension and development studies, i.e. economic, social

and human development, by offering programmes leading to the award of Certifi-

cate, Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma and Post-Graduate Degrees in relevant sub-

jects. The thrust areas of the School are Extension Education, Livelihood Education,

Development Studies and Empowerment Studies

School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies (SOITS)The School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies (SOITS) was estab-

lished in 2007 with a mandate for promoting academic study and research within

and across conventional and emerging disciplines. It has moved to fulfil this goal

by instituting innovative courses and programmes devoted to the study of social

anthropology, labor and development, environment, diaspora, language and lin-

guistics and Peace and Conflict among others. It has also promoted course offer-

ings in the ODL mode in the sphere of Folklore and Cultural Studies, besides a

new modular offering in the study of Philosophy at the undergraduate and grad-

uate levels.

Fair use of this material is encouraged with proper citation.© Indira Gandhi National Open University

DESIGN: IANSPUBLIShING

International migration and diaspora has been one of the integral parts of

the recent development discourse in academics as well as the policy do-

main, more pertinently in developing countries. The latter are the suppliers

of large number of skilled, semi-skilled and also the unskilled manpower to

the developed countries. There is growing evidence that Diaspora has made

far reaching contributions to the development of the destination countries

as well as countries of their origin. With globalization, contribution of the Di-

aspora to the development of nation states have been meaningfully en-

hanced. In this context, the conference on “Diaspora and Development:

Prospects and Implications for Nation States” organized at IGNOU during 7-8 September 2011 by The

School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS) and School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-dis-

ciplinary Studies (SOITS) is noteworthy for its timely positioning and response to a global issue relating

to diaspora and development.

More than 150 participants i.e. academia, research scholars, policy makers from 27 countries par-

ticipated and deliberated on the various aspects of diaspora and development such as social, economic,

cultural, political, international relations, technology transfers, value additions across the globe, etc.

The research findings were shared by the expert participants working in the field of Diaspora studies

in various countries.

In this context, I must acknowledge the kind gesture of Indian Council of Overseas Employment

(ICOE), Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Indian Council of Social Science Research, Indian Council for

Cultural Relations and The Reserve Bank of India for providing generous financial support to conduct

this international conference.

I believe that the Proceedings that have brought out the major outcomes of the papers presented

in the Conference would provide input for further deliberations and dialogue among the researchers,

policy planners at the regional-grassroots, , national and international levels and help the governments

of the nation states to engage the diaspora in development process in a more constructively, institu-

tionally and in its newer policy orientations with quick changing adaptability to oncoming horizons

of discourse and practice.

October, 2011 V.N. Rajasekharan PillaiNew Delhi Vice Chancellor

Foreword

Shri Vinay Sahni, Joint Secretary, DiasporaServices Division, MOIA, addressing delegates.

A session on Film, Theatre and Writings.

Noted Danseuse Jayalakshmi Eshwar.

Dr. Nandini Sen.

VC Prof. Pillai lighting the lamp

PVC Dr. Latha Pillai addressing delegates

during the cultural event.

Ambassador J.C. Sharma.

Ms. Metka Hercog.

Ms. Alena Strohmaier. Dr. Md. Salahuddin.

Mr. Evans Stephen Osabuohien.

Noted dance critic Prof. Sunil Kothari.

Dignitaries and Conference Delegates

International Conference | Diaspora and DevelopmentPROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATION STATES 5

Preface and Acknowledgements............................................................................ 6

Introduction .................................................................................................................... 8

Session-wise proceedings ........................................................................................ 9

Diaspora and Development: Issues, Strategies and Practices, Session I, Plenary I ......................................................................................10

Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion, Session II ......................................................12

human Development, Session II ..............................................................................14

human Development (Continuation), Session IV ..........................................................................................................................16

Diaspora Finance and Socio- Economic Development, Session III ........................................................................17

Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion (Continuation), Session III ............................................................................................19

Film, Theatre and Writings, Session V ..............................................................................24

Engaging Diaspora: The Way Forward, Session VI, Plenary II ..................................................................27

Valedictory Session ........................................................................................................31

Outcome and Recommendations ............................................................................32

Annexture I: Programme Schedule .................................................................................................. 34

Annexture II: List of Participants ........................................................................................................ 39

Contents

Dr. Nandini Sen.

International Conference | Diaspora and DevelopmentPROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATION STATES6

Preface and Acknowledgements

Diaspora has been one of the im-

portant aspects of the globaliza-

tion processes that needs to be

culled out from the latter’s modernizing

envelopes and reaches. The scholarship

on diaspora vis a vis development is

manifesting growing expanse and re-

sponsible postures. The UNDP Develop-

ment Report 2009 “human Development

on the Move” emphasized the impact of

the movement of people on socio-eco-

nomic development of the home and

host countries and its peoples.

As the development scenario is

changing due to the intervention of di-

verse actors ranging from technology to

changing income levels macrossopically,

it is important to understand the nature

of mobility of people in the new context.

Digital interactive media such as internet,

mobile and T.V. provide a new interactive

space for the diaspora and transnational

communities to experience and connect

life in a manner that was not available a

few years ago. ICT mediated interaction

have economic and social aspects that

deeply influence society- its economy,

polity, diplomatic and cultural life.

Developing Countries face different

challenges in the emerging scenario vis-

a-vis the developed countries. Contrary

to the idea of brain drain that dominated

the development debate in the 60s and

70s among the scholars and policy mak-

ers of developing countries, diasporas in

the age of internet are seen as resources

to accumulate human, financial, and so-

cial capital for the development of their

home communities as well as host coun-

try. Many developing countries have

been playing a growing role in channel-

izing the resources through various insti-

tutional mechanisms in the recent years

by engaging Ministries, educational insti-

tutions and civil society organizations.

Many Asian and African countries have

taken initiatives at the top level to pro-

vide institutionalized platform to facili-

tate the diasporas to play development

role back home. Diasporas need to vigor-

ously establish and reinforce multi-sec-

toral links between countries of origin

and destination through these institu-

tionalized links and on their own.

Developing countries have channel-

ized financial resources from their dias-

pora more effectively. Financial capital

accumulated by diasporas abroad is

often repatriated to the country of origin

in the form of remittances or direct in-

vestments that benefit the home com-

munity and the population as a whole.

human capital which plays an important

role and can be effectively transferred

across border with the use of ICT creates

opportunity in many sectors such as

higher education, training, Research and

Development, etc.

Though there are successful cases of

diasporic engagement with home coun-

try in the economic and social aspects, it

suffers complex and multi dimensional

Dr. Sadananda Sahoo.

Prof. B.K. Pattanaik.

problematics in its impacts on domestic and in-

ternational developmental dimensions. Many of

the diaspora anchor the regional, linguistic and

ethnic factor visa v is the broader goals. For exam-

ple Indian diaspora has a strong regional affilia-

tion. Diverse social, cultural, security, defense

related matters through diasporic channels im-

pact the conventional national and international

fabric. Development impacts of the diaspora are

cause of unevennesses across regions. The policy

challenges range from creation of greater inclu-

siveness in the development process to vertical

growth horizons.

This International Conference on the theme

“Diaspora and Development: Prospects and Impli-

cations for Nation States” conducted by School of

Extension and Development Studies and School

of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies

was conceived to deliberate on the following: (1)

to contextualise and conceptualise diaspora in

the changing development scenario; (2) to assess

the micro and macro level impact of the diaspora–

national, regional, sectoral and community level;

(3) to assess the possible roadmaps to engage di-

aspora in the development process, (4) to provide

fresh ideas and policy inputs to the governments,

development agencies working at national and

international level.

however, there are many more unexplored

areas which were discussed during the confer-

ence. The need for continuous academic and

policy engagement to harness the unique de-

velopment potentials out of the diaspora in the

emerging scenarios was agreed upon. The con-

ference brought together more than 150 partic-

ipants comprised of scholars from 27 different

countries across the globe. There were 53 schol-

arly papers were presented in the conference

widely touching upon a variety of issues, ideas,

country experiences, practices in policies etc.

The conference brought a diversity of issues

that made the event meaningful in terms of its

contribution to policy and changing academic

orientations.

The conference was the result of cooperation

and support from many individuals and institutions.

First of all, we express our deep gratitude to the Vice

Chancellor Prof. VN Rajasekharan Pillai for providing

an environment and opportunity to organize this

International Conference. Much inspiration and

support came from Dr. Latha Pillai, PVC who has

been personally guiding and helping rest of us.

We thank the Chief Guest of the Conference

Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas

Indian Affairs for kindly agreeing to participate in

the conference and share his ideas in the confer-

ence. We also thank Shri G. Gurucharan, CEO of In-

dian Council of Overseas Employment for being

the Chief Guest during the valedictory and shar-

ing key insights and facts on diaspora issues. We

thank our Keynote speaker Prof. Mizan Miah and

all Session Chairs, Participants, Discussants and

Rapporteurs of the different sessions who gave

their valuable time and cooperation.

We acknowledge our thanks to our esteemed

sponsorers such as ICOE, ICSSR, ICCR, RBI and Ox-

ford University Press. Our special thanks to our

own colleagues and office staff without whose

untiring efforts the Conference engagements

would have been left undone.


(Prof. B.K. Pattanaik)Conference Coordinator

(Dr. Sadananda Sahoo) Joint Coordinator

Introduction

8 International Conference | Diaspora and DevelopmentPROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATION STATES

Diaspora is an inevitable phenome-

non and force today. Prospective Di-

asporas, that include International

Migrants constitute about 214 mil-

lion people globally (UN Report 2010), is impor-

tant for the development at the national and

international level. Several studies in recent years

have emphasized that diaspora is becoming a

global economic force and has been playing a

growing role in economy (in terms of remittances,

FDI etc), politics, media and culture cutting across

national boundaries.

The International Conference “Diaspora and

Development: Prospects and Implications for Na-

tion States”, 7-8 September is conceived as a plat-

form to share empirical research findings and

ideas to map out the potential of diaspora that

can contribute towards development. The confer-

ence was planned as an occasion to encourage

research and provide input to the development

policy that will help in building better strategy to

face the development challenges.

The conference had participants that include

researchers, academicians, policy experts from

more than 27 countries. Out of total 10 sessions,

there were two plenary sessions on the theme

“Diaspora and Development Dynamics: Issues,

Strategies and Practices” (Plenary I) and the other

“Engaging Diaspora: The Way Forward” (Plenary

II). The Remaining eight sessions were conducted

in parallel. A total of 53 papers out of total 57

were presented in the conference.

The inauguration began with the lighting the

lamp followed by welcome address by Dr. Latha

Pillai, Pro- Vice Chancellor. She mentioned that

“diaspora is one of the meaningful change agent.

Interest in diaspora has been accelerated with the

advancement in ICT and knowledge manage-

ment. India’s software industry is a strong exam-

ple. The industry has created 4 lakh jobs in India

and exported 6 billion dollar goods and services

as per some conservative estimates”. She also

mentioned that 19 out of 20 top Indian software

business are funded by Indian diaspora. In this

context the role of education, ICT and institutions

like IGNOU is meaningful.

While delivering the presidential address Prof.

Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU an-

Dignitaries unveiling the conference compendium at the inauguration ceremony on September 7.

nounced that IGNOU is in the process of setting

up a Centre for Diaspora Studies at the University

Campus and mentioned that “this conference will

provide an opportunity to share thoughts on how

India can benefit by mutual interactions”. The Key

note address of the Conference was delivered by

Prof. Mizan R. Miah, Director, School of Social

Work, Southern Illinois University, USA on the

theme “The Global Community of Diaspora: Con-

tributions, Challenges and Prospects”. Prof. Miah

mentioned that “Diasporians of the world should

unite by contributing towards making the world

a better, safer place for peaceful co-existence by

the level of our talents, passion and productive

contribution towards all kinds of development-

social, cultural, political and economic”. Dr. A

Didar Singh, Secretary Ministry of Overseas Indian

Affairs (MOIA) who was the Chief Guest. While ad-

dressing the participants of the conference Dr.

Singh said that the “Return migration is the most

unique phenomena in India today. At present, we

are the world’s highest number of returned pro-

fessionals. This group is making a phenomenal

contribution to the local economy. This trend also

proves that the policies of engagement with the

Diaspora are beginning to show results”. The in-

auguration ended with the vote of thanks by Prof.

B.K. Pattanaik, Coordinator of the International

Conference and the Director of the School of Ex-

tension and Development Studies, IGNOU.

The structure of Sessions in the Conference

were as below:

Inaugural SessionSession I: “Diaspora and Development Dy-

namics: Issues, Strategies and Prac-

tices” (Plenary I)

Session II: Parallel I: Politics of Inclusion and

Exclusion

Parallel II: human Development

Session III: Parallel I: Diaspora Finance and

Socio-Economic Development

Parallel II: Politics of Inclusion and

Exclusion

Session IV: Parallel I: human Development

Parallel II: Gender in the Diaspora

Session V: Film, Theatre and Diaspora Writ-

ings

Session VI: Engaging Diaspora: The Way

Forward (Plenary II)

Valedictory Session

Chief Guest Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary, MOIA,

speaking at the inauguration.

9International Conference | Diaspora and DevelopmentPROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATION STATES

Country-wise paper presenters/participantsSl. No. Name of country No. of participant Paper Presenters/Participants

1 Austria 2 Ms. Alena Strohmaier, Arash T Riahi2 Bangladesh 3 Prof. Saiful Islam, Syed Afroz Keramat,

Dr. Salahuddin Mohammad3 Canada 1 Dr. Margaret Walton Roberts4 China 1 Prof. Guofu Liu5 Ethiopia 1 Prof. Pramod Kumar Mishra6 India 119 See Annexture II7 Indonesia 1 Mr. Agung Setiyo Wibowo8 Ireland 1 Prof. Mark Boyle9 Italy 1 Ms. Alice Colombo10 Malaysia 3 Dr. Maznah Ibrahim, Prof Siti

Rugayah hj Tibek, Prof. hussine hangah 11 Mauritius 1 Dr. K.M. Baharul Islam12 New Zealand 2 Dr. Wardlow Friesen, Ms Siar,Sheila13 Nigeria 2 Dr. Osabuohien Evans

Dr. Efobi Uchenna14 Russia 1 Dr. Sergey Krivov15 Scotland 1 Ms. honita Cowaloosur16 Singapore 1 Mr. Sabastiano Rwengabo17 South Africa 1 Prof. Brij Maharaj18 Sri Lanka 1 Mr. Chaminda hettiarachchi19 Switzerland 3 Dr. Gabriela Tejada, Ms. Metka hercog,

Prof. Sanjoy K. Nayak20 Taiwan 2 Prof. Shu-Man Pan

Dr. Jung-Tsung Yang21 Tanzania 1 Dr. Inderjeet Singh Sodhi22 Trinidad & Tobago 1 Mr. Jwala Rambarran 23 Turkey 1 Ms. handey Unsal24 U.K 3 Ms. Latefa Narriman Guemar

Dr. Branislav RadeljicProf. Shinder S Thandi

25 USA 2 Prof. Mizan MiahDr. Anjali Sahay

26 Vietnam 1 Tu Ngoc Chau27 Zimbabwe 1 Dr. Francis Matambirofa

Total 158

Session-wise proceedings

Diaspora and Development: Issues,Strategies and Practices (Plenary I)

Chair- Prof. R. K. Jain

After introducing the panel Prof. Jain started with

the notion of ‘diaspora’ and ‘development’. he

said that though both the concepts are not self

evident, yet there is strong connection between

both. Touching the concept of ‘diaspora’ and its

implication on nation- state, he said trans-nation-

alism has become a reality.

First paper was presented by Prof. Mark Boyle,

titled “Towards a New Generation of Diaspora

Centred Development: Current Practices and

Emerging Priorities”. In his presentation he ex-

plained how diaspora strategy is an explicit policy

initiative enacted by sending countries to fortify

and develop relationship with expatriate commu-

nities. he said that different countries have

adopted different practices, policies, programmes

etc. to tap the diaspora. he said that robust dias-pora is important for the representation of na-tional interests and for that prior alignment withdiasora stakeholders is a successful strategy. he

critically reflected upon the mechanism through

which particular diaspora policies become global

examples of best practices.

Prof. Boyle mentioned about Global Diaspora

Strategist Toolkit (GDST), which is an important

portal to compare and contrast diaspora strategy

programmes and share best practices. he further

said, IdEA, launched by Global Diaspora Forum, is

intended to promote five core modes of diaspora

engagement around the world. They are: 1) di-

aspreneuership 2) diasplomacy 3) diasporacorps

4) diaspora 2.0 and 5) diasphilanthropy. he pre-

sented the case of Ireland.

Second paper was presented by Metka hercog

and Dr. Gabriela Tejada on “The Link with home

Country: A Comparative analysis of host Country

Environments for Diaspora Engagements”. In their

combine paper, they mentioned what the highly

skills migrants can bring to their home countries

are increasingly regarded as important for devel-

opment and many countries are seeking ways to

profit from the experience of the diasora. They

took the case of India and explored the structural

differences between host countries and condi-

tions of Indian skilled migrants. They had selected

four host countries – France, Germany, Switzer-

land and Netherland. They explore do these coun-

tries provide fruitful environment for diaspora

engagement in home country development.

They mentioned the migration policies of

these four countries – Knowledge Migrant

Scheme 2004 (Netherland), New Immigration Act

2005 (Germany), Skills and Talent Visa 2006

(France), New Foreign National Act 2008 (Switzer-

land). They also discussed the structural settings

in these four countries in form of academic envi-

ronment and bilateral cooperation. They con-

ducted survey of Indian professionals (ICT, Finance

and Management, Biotechnology and Pharma-

ceuticals and Academia) residing in these four

countries. They found that Indian professionalsabroad cultivate strong trans-national links andexpress interest in development of India butthere is low level of institutional contacts andlack of information about government schemes.

Third paper presented by Prof. Brij Maharaj on

“The African Brain Drain- Causes, Costs and Con-

sequences”. he analysed the factors which influ-

enced the African brain- drain and also examined

the impact of remittances, which according to

him are two. (1) Losing the most talented and

skilled personnel (brain- drain) and (2) Increased

expenditure on the education and training to

compensate for those who left. The positive side

Prof. Mark Boyle presenting his paper titled ‘To-

wards a New Generation of Diaspora Centred Devel-

opment: Current Practices and Emerging Priorities.’


of the brain drain is that in 2010, the remittances

to Africa exceeded US$ 40 billion (2.6% of GDP)

from 30 million diasporic Africans. however, the

negative consequence is that the continent is be-

coming increasingly dependent on foreign tech-

nical expertise at a cost of more than US$ 4 billion

per annum. he has also assessed the impacts of

brain drain on the African continent; determined

whether there is an intra-African brain circulation

(i.e. gain and drain), and the brain circulation be-

tween Africa and the rest of the world. he consid-

ered ways in which the loss of skilled Migrants

from the continent can be reduced, and whether

the brain drain diaspora can contribute to devel-

opment in Africa.

Providing statistics, Prof. Maharaj said, since

1990s, Africa has been losing 20,000 profession-

als annually. Female migrants increased from 42

per cent in 1962 to 47 per cent in 2000. he said

that the female brain drain is a critical issue as

“women’s human capital is an even scarcer re-

source than men’s human capital. This was asso-

ciated with the demand for services such as

nursing, teaching and other professions domi-

nated by women. There has been a great deal of

debate about whether it is possible or necessary

to stop, control or regulate the outflow of skilled

migrants from Africa. Until the late 1980s, the

policy response has been to control and regu-

late the flow of international migrants. This strat-

egy was largely unsuccessful. Another policy

option advocated was of reparations or com-

pensation for the loss of skilled labour or human

capital which should be paid to the sending

country. This too was felt difficult in determining

the actual amount and how it should be calcu-

lated. he suggests three main strategies for

African countries to turn the brain drain into a

brain gain: first, retain professionals; second,

providing attractive incentives that would en-

courage professionals to return to their country

of origin (return option); and third or using

through their networks and associations in their

new country to promote development in their

country of origin (diaspora option).

The last paper of the session was by Dr. Mar-

The session on “Diaspora and Development: Issues, Strategies and Practices” (Plenary I) in progress.


garet Walton- Roberts titled “Contrasting regional

Migration and Diaspora led Transformation in Ker-

ala and Punjab: Is it evidence of Migration led De-

velopment?” She strongly argued that economic

development of many nations in the Global South

can no longer be comprehensively charted with-

out a focus on international labour migration and

its associated socio- economic and spatial transfor-

mations. She explores migration from two Indian

states and compares them in order to identify dif-

ferences and similarity and emerges from inter-

national migration. She has focused specifically

on the migration and role of NRIs with neo-liberal

restructuring process that India is already under-

going. She said that Kerala, Punjab and Goa are

among the most remittance dependent

economies globally.

She asks that how are structures of traditional

social exclusion articulated with migration. What

role can migration policy play to broaden oppor-

tunities beyond networks of closure? She consid-

ers migration is one part of the larger imperative

of creating more socially inclusive development

in India.

After the presentations, discussant Dr. Mo-

hammad Salahuddin said that the first paper con-

ceptualizes and shown how diaspora policies are

build and how money can be fruitfully used as

peace process and philanthropy. Second presen-

ters conducted survey of around 428 Indian pro-

fessionals living in the four countries. how they

are influencing the policies of these countries?

Their studies find out that there is strong trans-

national links and their desire to return to their

homeland (India). Prof. Brij Maharaj has made

alarming findings that skilled migrants in Africa

have migrated and affected Africa’s develop-

ment. Margaret has presented a comparative pic-

ture between Kerala and Punjab and also focused

the way in which migration and role of NRIs could

be restructured. In the end, Chair Prof. R.K. Jain

mentioned that ‘one has to look the discontent

of the diaspora along with the benefits’. One has

to look both sides of the diaspora.

Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion (Session II)Chair- Prof. A. S. Narang

First paper was presented by Samson S. Chiru on

“Diasporic International Relations: Agent of

Change as Soft Power Diplomacy”. he has looked

into the emerging power of Indian Diaspora in

the US that plays a vital role not only as the US cit-

izens, but of India too. he called the relationship

as ‘burnt bridge’, which the Government of India

is tapping its diaspora for knowledge, expertise

and money. Providing various theories of interna-

tional relations in regard with diaspora, he has

The session on “Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion” (Parallel I) in progress.


also analysed drain of brain and wealth for the

country of origin.

Second paper was presented by Prof. Badrul

Alam titled “Joining the Mainstream Bandwagon:

A Study of Political Participation of the Indian Di-

aspora in the United States”. Starting with ethnic

and educational composition of Indian commu-

nity in the United States, he analysed the emerg-

ing sense of political consciousness and resulting

participation of the Asian Indians and its leaders

in the national as well as states and local level po-

litical arenas of the United States. he addressed

the Asian Indians’ attitude towards pertinent do-

mestic and international issues of importance in

the context of the US society and politics. he has

also explained how the Asian Indian community

wants to become part of mainstream society by

exhibiting itself as a ‘model minority’.

Dr. Vibha Arora in her joint paper with Renuka

Thapliyal titled “Being Tibetan in Shimla: Cultural

hybridity and Social Development of the Tibetan

Diaspora” put forward a debate on commerciali-

sation of culture and cultural hybridity with Ti-

betans. Their study was based on the study of

Tibetans in Shimla, himachal Pradesh. They found

out that how Tibetan diaspora has maintained

their identity, perpetuating their culture and their

significant impacts on the economy of Shimla city

in himachal Pradesh. Interestingly, they mention

that Tibetans are happy about their refugee sta-

tus and consider it a way to express their nation-

alism. Their homeland remains only in

imagination.

Fourth paper by Dr. Manisha Tripathy Pandey

was on “Fluid Boundaries and Diasporas: Multiple

Identities and Globalizing World”. She said, that

the once comparatively stable, socio-cultural, po-

litical and economic boundaries are being rup-

tured by constant cross- cutting tide of people,

images, goods and capital. She further explained

the question of identity among diaspora commu-

nity in their host countries. In her paper she re-

vealed that diasporic attempt among various

cultural reference groups resulted in multiple and

shifting socio-political identity. She also analysed

how identities are localised and pluralised be-

cause of different references and practices

among the trans-national groups and diasporas.

The fifth paper was presented by Dr. Sergey

Kirmov titled “The Role of Ethnic Diaspora in the

Innovative Development of Post Soviet Era”. Fo-

cusing on the Soviet diaspora and labour mi-

grants after the collapse of Soviet Union, he

explores their impact on the process of moderni-

sation. he emphasized on ‘diasporisation of the

world’. he expressed two views: On the onehand, the orthodox view which advocates thatthe presence of strong diaspora is limiting andseen as de-stabilising factor, on the other hand,some policy makers believe that influx of for-eign labour accelerates development with re-duction of costs. Further he has explained

different terminologies as ‘diaspora of cataclysm’

and ‘pendulum model of diasora’. Thus, despite

the different character of diasporas impact on

economic development in post-soviet countries,

its effectiveness ultimately depends on the fore-

thought of migration and national policies in

each case. Innovative economy is generated pri-

marily in those industries that require scientific

developments. At the same time, the former So-

viet republics have not yet created an attractive

environment for the use of innovative skills of his

former compatriots. he said that currently dias-

pora partially offset the labour shortages in cer-

tain sectors, as well as a source of revenue for

their relatives at home.

The last paper in this session was presented

by Francis Matambirofa titled “Diaspora, Cultural

Disintegration and Underdevelopment: A Case of

Zimbabwe in the Last Ten Years (2001- 2011)”.

Taking a different opinion of migration he has ex-

plained migration in terms of degradation of fam-

ily values in culture with reference to Zimbabwe.

he considered the economic development was

Dr. Manisha Tripathy Pandey presenting her paper

titled ‘Fluid Boundaries and Diasporas: Multiple

Identities and Globalizing World.’


just one feature of human development. And

looking at the diaspora only in terms of capitalgrowth is lopsided and unrealistic view to theextent it is unconcerned with the equally impor-tant socio-cultural aspect of human develop-ment. he expressed disporic impact on various

areas in Zimbabwe as- brain drain, marriage, fam-

ily, children, youth, etc.

Human Development (Session II)Chair: Prof. Sanjoy K. Nayak

Mr. Chaminda hettiarachchi presented a paper

titled “Diaspora as a Knowledge Community in

Policy Making for Nation Building of Post-War Sri

Lanka”. his main argument was that in a critical

moment of the history, when Sri Lanka is trying

to rebuild the nation after three decades of eth-

nic war, Diasporic people can play a major role in

national reconstruction process with their ex-

pertise and their global experience. he said that

many people have moved out of the country due

to ethnic conflict and it has been observed that

these diaspora members are excelling in their ca-

reers in various disciplines in their guest coun-

tries which make them a very important

knowledge community in nation building in post

war Sri Lanka. For rebuilding of the Nation, he

laid emphasis on a mechanism to include the Sri

Lankan diaspora community in policy making,

and in including them in policy decisions on po-

litical solution to ethnic conflict, democratization,

and socio-economic development. he said that

since ten years or so, the focus has shifted from

‘survival’ to ‘growth’ and for the growth of the

country it is extremely important to treat dias-

pora community as Sri Lanka’s own community

and not as tourists. The other main challenge, ac-

cording to him, is the lack of network method-

ologies. In a world where information and digital

technology have transcended boundaries, there

are innovative ways of overcoming these chal-

lenges and networking such knowledge commu-

nities for policy making. He emphasized on therole of ICTs and web based technologies in net-working the Sri Lankan diaspora community tocreate knowledge network of the Sri Lankan di-asporic community across the Globe and to fa-cilitate the return of diaspora expertise to SriLanka's national development.

The second speaker was Dr. Wardlow Frieson

from New Zealand presented a paper on “Brain

Circulation and Indian Development: A Perspec-

tive from Australia and New Zealand”. he empha-

sized on the role of brain circulation in the form

of international students, professionals and other

Participants at the session on “Human Development” (Parallel II).



skilled workers, and migrants returning to their

own country of origin and how each of these

types of Diasporic mobility has the potential to

make significant contributions to knowledge ex-

change and development. his focus was on the

two migrant settlement countries of Australia and

New Zealand and the Indian migrant population

within these countries. he tried to show the link-

ages between these countries and the Indian

homeland; and the potential outcomes for devel-

opment. he also spoke about the evolving immi-

gration policies of Australia and New Zealand.

The next speaker, Dr. Anjali Sahay from USA,

presented a paper on “Reverse Brain Drain: Millen-

nial Strategies by Developed and Developing

Countries”. her focus was on showing the role

played by developed countries, in particular the

United States in retaining foreign talent in their

countries as well as developing countries in making

their countries more attractive for the foreign tal-

ents. She said that historically, the advanced

economies, such as the United States, have thrived

through visa regimes that are geared towards

drawing the best and the brightest to their shores.

With increasing opportunities now available in

many developing countries such as India and

China, the global recession in the United States, as

well as stricter immigration laws have increased the

phenomenon of “returnees” as thousands of profes-

sionals return to their home countries. The Startup

Visa Bill in the Senate represents the most aggres-

sive attempt yet to both attract and retain the best

of entrepreneurship and talent on American shores.

On the other hand, the creation of many ‘edu-cities’

in different developing countries reflects their

grand strategy in becoming centres for Western ed-

ucation retaining their national talent as well as at-

tracting many others. She elaborated on these

strategies to provide a better understanding of the

nuances in the debate on brain gain in the twenty

first century.

The next presenter was Dr. T.L.S. Bhaskar on

“Philanthropy and Sustainable Development in Re-

gional Towns: Role of Diaspora Telugus in Guntur”.

he spoke about how Diaspora philanthropy to the

Guntur region has transformed from being individ-

ual driven to one that is driven institutionally and

how the emergence of a public-private partnership

(PPP) model further accelerates the inward flow of

Diaspora donations to various development /ser-

vice activities. he emphasized on how the PPP

model has extended the realm of involvement by

the diaspora Telugus back home, and also how di-

aspora Telugus have started to influence policy for-

mulation at the district level. he exclaimed that the

Guntur model of networking with its diaspora has

turned out to be a model for many districts in

Andhra Pradesh, especially on issues pertaining to

raising and managing philanthropy.

The last speaker of this session was Ms. Sheila

Siar from Auckland. She presented a paper on “The

Diaspora as Carrier of Soft Knowledge for Develop-

ment to the home Country: Evidence from highly

Skilled Filipino Migrants in New Zealand and Aus-

tralia". her main argument was how Diasporas are

carriers of a particular type of knowledge in the

contribution to the process of development. She

substantiated her argument by giving examples of

highly skilled Filipinos in New Zealand and Australia

as carriers of ‘soft’ knowledge. She spoke about the

importance of the transmission of cultural knowl-

edge, skills in creative arts, capacity building skills,

settlement and legal assistance from the diaspora

to individuals and groups in the Philippines. She

said, it has been observed that skilled diasporashave a willingness to transfer and share knowl-edge and this matches to the home country’s will-ingness to receive, use and value it. And hencefocus should be on the programs to promote di-aspora participation in home country develop-ment to reach all types of expatriate professionalsand not just mainstream groups.

Dr. Wardlow Frieson presenting his paper titled

‘Brain Circulation and Indian Development: A Per-

spective from Australia and New Zealand.’

Human Development(Continuation) Session IV

Chair: Prof. Shinder S. Thandi

Session IV was the continuation of the theme on

human Development” which was chaired by Prof.

Shinder S. Thandi. There were three papers and

four participants could not attend though three

of them have submitted their full papers.

Dr. Falendra Kumar Sudan in his presentation

on “Tapping Talents in India through Diasporas

Network: Opportunities and Challenges” empha-

sized that India had a strong cultural emphasis on

education both at private and government level.

Since 1990s, government spending on education

has been growing at 12% a year, of which roughly

a fifth goes towards higher education. India’s

higher education system now ranks alongside

that of United States in terms of scale. however,

as a share of GDP, the total education spending

is still lower than in most developed countries.

India spends 4.9% of its GDP on education against

5.7% in OECD countries. The non-government

spending on education is relatively high propor-

tion of total at 25%. Over 12 million students were

enrolled in universities and colleges of India in

2009. Roughly 20% of students study commerce,

economics or management related courses and

tertiary enrolment rates are less than half those in

advanced economies such as UK. Thus, while

graduate populations are large in terms of ab-

solute numbers, for foreseeable future India’s

economies will remain dominated by low skilled

labour. By 2030, share of skilled labour in working

population will be just 6.2% compared to 14% for

world as a whole and 40% in high income coun-

tries. This creates a big challenge as India aspires

to move up the value chain. While India has made

rapid strides in expanding higher education sys-

tems, it still faces a number of challenges in terms

of effectively utilizing existing supply of talent as

well as increasing it sufficiently to meet demands

of rapidly growing economy. how to leverage the

expertise and knowledge of Diasporas for benefit

of India was the main issue of the paper. There is

a need for promoting policy reform and institu-

tional innovation in collaboration with Diasporas

networks, which can be crucial bridges between

policy, technological and managerial expertise

and local scenarios.

Dr. Leena Singh spoke about the potential of

diaspora in the emerging knowledge economies.

She said that Globalisation has contributed to-

wards large scale movement of human capital

world wide. As a result, there has been rapid rise

Session on “Human Development” (Continuation) Session IV in progress.


Mr. Jwala Rambarran, discussant.

The session on “Diaspora Finance and Socio- Economic Development” (Session III) in progress.


of people crossing the national border. This exo-

dus was previously regarded as brain drain be-

cause the migrant never chose to return to their

home country. This has facilitated greater integra-

tion of global markets but custom laws still gov-

ern movement of capital, goods and services

across borders while immigration laws govern

cross border movement of skilled and unskilled

labour. Government needed to contribute in

terms of rethinking and redesigning develop-

ment in the face of changing global scenario. her

paper focused more on development from inter-

national labour migration as return migration can

be regarded as one of the important strategies for

combating the problem of poverty and educated

youth unemployment.

Jeetendra D. Soni in his paper “Indian Diapora

and Knowledge Tranfer: Myth or Reality” argued

that migration of skilled professionals is an impor-

tant segment which is a matter of concern. In the

context of diaspora, he mentioned that it can play

a very crucial role in knowledge economy. Knowl-

edge transfer can accelerate and direct develop-

mental processes at the place of origin. In many

parts of the world, this perspective of knowledge

transfer modalities is explained by the process of

brain circulation as talented emigrants contribute

to their homeland with transfer of technology,

capital, managerial and institutional know-how

and so on. Such evidences are already emerging

in India (Annalee Saxenian). Further, this can es-

tablish a ground for brain gain in future course of

time for the countries like India.

Diaspora Finance andSocio- Economic Development (Session III)

Chair- Ambassador Paramjit Sahai

First paper in this session was presented by Mr.

Agung Setiyo Wibowo on “Indonesian Migrant

Workers: Foreign Exchange heroes?” he said that

migration is considered as best solution to over-

come the high level of unemployment and

poverty in Indonesia. Their remittance reached

US$ 6.73 billion in 2010 and its flows can bring pos-

itive impact on the country’s economic develop-

ment. hence, remittance inflow can be highly

significant in the local territory. Remittance can sig-

nificantly enhance the ability of government to

pay foreign debts and import goods to support na-

tional development. he said according to the data

available in the Bank Indonesia (BI) by September

2010, Indonesian migrant workers remittance

reached USD 5.03 billion, up to 2.44 percent from

USD 4.91 billion in the same period in 2009. But un-

fortunately, Indonesian migrant workers were un-

dermined from both home country and abroad.

The international migration phenomenon be-

come a popular trend in the Third World Coun-

tries for centuries including Indonesia. Mostly

Indonesian migrant workers were women and

most of them worked in informal or low skill sec-

tors. he mentioned that because of high impor-

tance of remittance to development, the

government of Indonesia has made some effort

to support migrant workers. The Ministry of Man-

power and Transmigration has established the

National Agency for Placement and Protection of

Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI). The remittance from

migrant workers is a strategic income to the coun-

try. The Bank of Indonesia (BI) recorded that mi-

grant workers contributed 4.4 percent of

country’s foreign exchange. According to

BNP2TKI, the remittances has increased year by

year. The significance of remittance contribution

to the national foreign exhange reserves made

government of Indonesia to appreciate migrant

workers by organizing “Pahlawan Devisa” (Foreign

Exhange hero).

Second paper of this session was presented

by Akhil Alha on “On Some Aspects of Labour Mi-

gration and Remittances in Indian Experience”. he

argued that remittances are important source of

extra income for migrants’ families as well as for

developing and least developing countries,

where the size of remittances is more than twice

that of international aid flows. Describing the ef-

fects of international migration on Indian econ-

omy, he said, India- the largest remittance

receiving country (increased from USD 2 billion in

1989-1990 to about USD 52 billion in 2009-10. The

size of remittances has increased from 0.8 percent

of India’s GDP in 1991 to around 6 percent in

2009-10.

With working-age population increasing inthe developing countries, he pointed out that anaggressive manpower marketing strategy is re-quired on the part of government to reap thebenefit arising out of high-labour demand in de-veloped countries. Remittances can be used forthe development of small and micro enterprisesthrough financial intermediaries. In this case,the policy focus should be to induce micro fi-nance institutions to capture remittances to bein turn used to fuel productive activities.

Next paper on “Can Diaspora be an Agent of

Development? Assessing the Role of Diaspora Fi-

nance in Punjab’s Economic Development” was

presented by Prof. Shinder S. Thandi. he gave a

conceptual framework for understanding dias-

pora and development nexus and evaluated the

contemporary role of different forms of diaspora

finance- remittances, philanthropic donations; fi-

nance (FDI/Portfolio/ Bonds), knowledge transfer

and innovation, and institutional reforms etc. in

the state of Punjab. he suggested some models

for mobilization of the diaspora. however, there

are constraints in mobilisation, due to the charac-

teristics of the diaspora communities as well as

nature of Punjab state. he also proposed some

policies solutions.

Fourth paper was presented by Dr. Osabuo-

hien Evans and Dr. Efobi Uchenna on “Africa’s

Money in Africa: The Impact of Remittances on In-

vestment and Economic Development”. They

viewed that the inflow of remittance in the econ-

omy have two fold effect- first, to enhance devel-

opment through channeling the inflow to

investment activities like small scale businesses,

education purposes and second, to enhance

Dutch disease through surplus and unguarded

consumption activities. They concluded that in-

stitutional quality and financial development

were found to exert significant influence on in-

vestment. The implication of this is that an in-

crease in institutional quality and financial

development in Africa will result in more than

proportionate increase in investment. Chan-

nelling inflow of remittance funds into invest-

ment will be enhanced by the collaborative role

of improved financial development and institu-

tional quality. African economic growth is de-

pendent on good institutions and not merely

financial resources.

Fifth paper of this session was by Prof. Md. Sai-

ful Islam and Syed Afroz Keramat titled “Remit-

tances Inflow into Rural Economy of Bangladesh”.

In their paper, they have examined the remittance

behavior and its impact on the rural areas of

Bangladesh, where people are mostly illiterate,

depend on agriculture and even offer themselves

as day laborers. Remittances paved the way toattain a higher level of income and expenditureand so higher level of living and played vital rolein fulfilling basic needs in the rural areas. How-



ever, instead of paving the way for rural employ-ment generation and industrialization, it pro-vided an extended market for foreign producersof luxury items. Remittance should be encour-aged to invest in small and medium size agro-based, fisheries, livestock and service orientedindustries.

Sixth paper was on “A Causal Note on the Re-

lationship between Migrants’ Remittances and

Economic Growth in Bangladesh” by Dr. Moham-

mad Salahuddin. In his paper, he had investigated

the causal relationship between migrants’ remit-

tances and economic growth in Bangladesh and

found out that remittance spur economic growth

in Bangladesh in both short and long run. he rec-

ommended that policy schemes should be em-phasize on more productive use of remittancesby involving remittance sender more in devel-opment oriented projects, providing them moreincentives etc.

Seventh paper was presented by Dr. R. P.

Pradhan on “India’s Diaspora Connect: Financial

Instruments, Strategy and Options”. he explained

India’s financial and political connect with Indian

Diasopra. he mentioned four financial modes: re-

mittances, occasional hard currency develop-

ment fund, banking and incentivized FDIs. he

mentioned that return Migrants are resourceful

but not yet strategized into development funding

paradigm. The segment efficiently contributes

through remittances while being abroad. Back

home, they need entrepreneurial orientation to

create productivity space for them. Goa and

Pondicherry are case in point. he explained Gov-

ernment of India’s existing financial instruments

and their efficacy and limitations and financial

benefits that connect political policies.

Last paper of this session was presented by

Mr. Jwala Rambarran on “Diaspora Bonds and the

Caribbean: Tapping into Innovative Financing

Mechanism”. he considers diaspora bonds asmechanism that can enable the region to bor-row from its diaspora community. For diasporainvestors, these bonds offer opportunity to helptheir country of origin while also providing aninvestment opportunity. he explains how best

the Caribbean can tap into the wealth of its dias-

pora during difficult times. he has also high-

lighted some lessons from the Caribbean from

the experience of India and Israel, these two

countries, who have successfully issued over US $

35 billion in diaspora bonds. he has also provided

some direction for future research.

Discussant Dr. Wardlow Friesen concluded in

four major points. First, whether the migrants be di-

aspora? Second, they are important financial mech-

anism for development but there are limitations

around. Third, how effective can be this course of

development? What are the implications for the

policy and what government should do?

Chair person Ambassador Paramjit Sahai men-

tioned that there are definitional problems with re-

mittances. Even the bonds are not called

remittances until they are converted into Indian ru-

pees. Now the policies are changing from the past.

India now wants foreign exchange. We need to

channelize the remittances into the productive use.

Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion (Session III)

Chair: Ambassador J.C. Sharma

The first Speaker in this session was Ms. honita

Cowaloosur from Scotland who presented a

paper titled “Diaspora in Mauritius: Recipe for

Contested Development”. She spoke about Mau-

ritius diaspora and international business. Mauri-

tius demography is composed of 68 per cent of

Indian descent, 27 per cent of African descent, 3

per cent of Chinese descent, and 2 per cent of

Franco-Mauritian, hence, Mauritius is liable to be

Dr. R.P. Pradhan presenting his paper titled

‘India’s Diaspora Connect: Financial Instruments,

Strategy and Options.’

cautious in its affiliation during exercises of inter-

national diplomacy. This is particularly relevant in

the interplay between China and India on the

Mauritian investment scenario. Aware of the Ma-

hanian conflict between the two regional com-

petitors regarding influence over the Indian

Ocean, Mauritius aptly uses its active diaspora

links with one as a negotiation leverage to incite

investment cooperation from the other. It is

under a similar practice that Mauritius has se-

cured the two biggest investment projects in its

history: the Jin Fei Special Economic Zone by

China and the Neo Town Zone project by Indian

developers. What is remarkable is that Mauritius

adopts a management method allowing it to se-

cure its diaspora loyalty to both home countries;

while India is granted investment monopoly in

ICT and services, Chinese activism is welcomed in

construction and manufacturing. The Mauritian

negotiation strategy almost resembles Putnam’s

two-level game though in an inverted fashion,

whereby the international is harmonized at the

domestic level. however, the use of diaspora links

as a bait to lure investment from China and India

needs to be evaluated as it might become an ex-

cuse for Mauritius to overlook more viable invest-

ment partnership alternatives.

The second speaker of the evening was Dr. Ki-

ranmayi Bhushi on a paper titled “Old Faiths and

Global Organisational Frames”. She threw light on

the hindu religious practices and institutions in

the larger context of globalization taking Delhi

and Chicago as the two locations, and the non lo-

cational location of cyberspace to capture the

transnational field of global network and connec-

tions. She spoke about the hindu temples being

increasingly organised towards catering to the

transnationally located audiences. She said Glob-

alisation with its increasing connections and

flows has reconfigured many old practices and

transformed them and substantiated with an in-

stance of traditional notion of community which

was thought to be face-to-face and geographi-

cally circumscribed is reconfigured in newer ways;

through communication, networking and com-

ing together of people to form cyber and dias-

poric communities. She opined that this

transnational space reveals the presence of tradi-

tions being transformed and articulated in global

framework. In the process, there is great deal of

use of modern technologies and the logic of

global market practices. While attending to the

needs of faith, tradition, nostalgia and perhaps a

need for enchantment, the organisational frames

The session on “Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion” (Session III) in progress.


of some of the hindu institutions and practices,

reveal a degree of rationalization and the logic of

global economic and market forces like for exam-

ple, hindu priest travelling to Chicago and prac-

ticing priesthood; and advertising online about

his knowledge of the shastras. She showed an in-

teresting shift of religion from being oral to going

digital and the connection between ‘this-worldly’

and ‘other-worldly’.

The third speaker was Mr. Sabastiano

Rwengabo from Singapore. he presented a paper

on “The Dark Side of ‘Diaspora’ in Africa’s Great

Lakes Region”. his main argument was that there

are two sides of the diaspora- ‘bright’ and ‘dark’

but the other very significant side is always ig-

nored of dispersed people especially its politico-

security dimension. he said a proper understand-

ing of the development prospects and implica-

tions of diaspora for nation states requires an

appreciation of the implications of such commu-

nities for national and regional security – includ-

ing the state’s geopolitically-constituted

international relations, and people’s safety within

this geopolitical space defined by ethno- political

security configurations, therein. he substantiated

his argument by taking Banyarwanda as a case

study. Stressing the role of dispersed peoples in

Rwanda’s post-1959 insecurities particularly and

those of the Great Lakes Region, he argued that

under conditions of ethno-political uncertaintyand vulnerability coupled with state failuressome dispersed non-home communities andgroups can become a significant source of inse-curity and retardation to national and regionaldevelopment. He said that Diasporas can be theagents and victims of insecurity. Banyarwanda’s

imprint is hard to erase from Africa’s history. he

concluded by stating that we cannot go about

harping on developmental role of Diaspora, there

are other important aspects too that needs our

attention.

The fourth speaker was Ms. hande Unsal from

Turkey and the title of her paper was “The Impact

of Turkish Diasporic Community Living in Ger-

many on German and Turkish Laws”. The focus of

this presentation was the legal alterations con-

cerning the Turkish Diaspora in Germany and

evaluating the development and the conse-

quences of these alterations in a historical setting.

The existence of the Turkish diaspora in Germany

is highly significant for both countries as it con-

stitutes the largest Turkish community outside of

Turkey and is the largest foreign community in

Germany. Turkish nationals who have initially

been accepted as “guest workers” turned out to

be permanent residents in the course of time.

Meanwhile, they grew in population and started

to be more integrated in social and business life.

This resulted in the demands of Turkish nationals

to acquire German nationality while preserving

their original nationality. The demand for “dual

nationality” brought out the need for adjust-

ments both in Turkish and German legislations.

The alterations in the German legislation on na-

tionality made possession of dual nationality for

Turkish people almost impossible by requiring

the relinquishment of former nationality for ac-

quisition of German nationality. These new regu-

lations caused dramatic debates among German

and Turkish societies on the function and purpose

of nationality. While the German legislator quali-

fied the “relinquishment condition” as a need for

integration, the Turkish diaspora considered it as

“assimilation”. In the following years Turkey has

made several alterations in her legislation in order

to maintain its connections with the Turks, espe-

cially with the ones who had to relinquish Turkish

nationality. A remarkable example of this is the

“pink card” regulation which gave the former

Turkish nationals the right to enjoy majority of

the rights that a regular Turkish national has. The

scope of the alterations in Turkish legislation is

not restricted to social rights. They also include

economic rights as Turkey benefits from the repa-

triation of the remittances and savings of the

Turkish diaspora significantly. Moreover, some of

the members of the Turkish diaspora turned out

to be investors who possess large capital. In order

to attract this capital, Turkey has included the

Turkish nationals who reside abroad in the scope

of “foreign investor” in its Investment Act. This has

given the class of investors the right to access sev-

eral opportunities and conveniences that regular

Turkish nationals cannot benefit.

The next speaker was Prof. Pramod K Mishra

from Ethiopia. The title of his paper was “Inci-

dence of Elder Abuse among South Asian Immi-

grants in USA: Quest for Some Remedies”. The



focus area of this paper was the gaps in the ex-

pectations and fulfillment of some coveted goals

of the elderly immigrants and some possible

remedies to eradicate these problems which have

often tarnished the image of these resourceful

immigrants from South Asia. he started with how

these elderly became a part of USA diaspora. With

the large influx of South Asian immigrants to the

US in the 1960s and the 70s, these people are now

well recognised by the mainstream American so-

ciety as a visible and vibrant minority. They are

mainly professionals from India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Once they got settled

by fulfilling their American dream of leading a

comfortable life style, many of them have decided

to bring their old parents and other dependents

as dependant immigrants. After living with theirchildren in the American soil for a number ofyears, many of these elderly people felt a senseof neglect and even complained of mental tor-ture inflicted by their children and grand chil-dren. He opined that the State, various agenciesand the elders themselves need to do somethingabout this problem. According to him, empow-erment of elders is very important in curbing theproblem of elder abuse. There is a need to inte-grate the family, the market and the welfareschemes.

The sixth speaker was Dr. K.M. Baharul Islam

from Mauritius who presented a paper on “Do

Numbers Matter? Role of Indian Diaspora from

Smaller States” The main argument of this paper

was small states like Assam takes a backseat in

‘national’ discourse. he put forth questions like

does the small state like Assam, which has been

facing political, social and image issues because

of insurgence, have sufficient number of people

living abroad to catalyze any economic or devel-

opment agenda for the state? Or numbers do not

matter as is the case with a number of countries

like haiti or Albania? With these arguments, Dr.

Islam discussed the issue of Assamese Diaspora.

he suggested that a proactive role both on the

part of the government as well as the diaspora it-

self is required to present a roadmap for a small

state like Assam.

The next speaker was Dr. Guofu Liu from

China. The title of her paper was “On the Law on

the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Re-

turned Overseas Chinese and the Relatives of

Overseas Chinese”. he said since last one decade,

the Chinese Government is giving more

favourable attention some towards the returrnee

overseas Chinese and their relatives. China is cre-

ating enormously advanced laws to protect the

rights of and interests of citizens. The legal foun-

dation and principles of the Law on the Protec-

tion of the Rights and Interests of Returned

Overseas Chinese and the Relatives of Overseas

Chinese are facing significant challenges. The be-

nign way to develop is to comprehensively re-

think the law and explore an effective strategy.

Arguably, the same right as the citizens without

discrimination could be adjusted into the legal

equality. Appropriate preferential treatment in ac-

cordance with the actual conditions might be

gradually attached unimportance even quitted at

last. The replaceable one is the enhancement of

integration. The contents of the protection of the

rights and interests of returned overseas Chinese

and the relatives of overseas Chinese will be

merged into other laws. When possible, the leg-

islation of Law of Enhancement of the Integration

of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Relatives

of Overseas Chinese should be put on the gov-

ernmental agenda

The next speaker of the evening was Dr. Bijulal

M.V presented a paper on “Migrant Workers and

human Rights in the GCC Countries: Some pointers

in the context of Labour Unrest”. he made an effort

Dr. Guofu Liu presenting a paper titled ‘On the

Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests

of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Relatives

of Overseas Chinese.’

to trace the life world experience of the migrant

workers who live in extremely difficult conditions

of life, and work and reasons for the deterioration

in workers lifeworlds, and sought official and civil

mechanisms for protection and promotion of

human rights of the workers and their families. he

opined that such is the spread of migrant work as

a major economic option across the world that one

out of thirty-five persons in the world migrates for

work. Indian labour, mostly unskilled and unorgan-

ized, in the GCC countries amounts to nearly 1.2

million according to some estimates in 2006.

Among various countries having their citizens

working in the GCC countries, India has the highest

number of persons. Since 2004, the Indian labour

is one of the strongest sections of workers partici-

pating in massive labour strikes, which was un-

heard of in the GCC countries. Independent

investigations by human rights bodies and public

interest reports through investigative journalism

have exposed many areas of urgent concerns for

the workers. For a place like Kerala, returns from

migration are a key economic component for

thousands of families. Any state action from the

GCC countries which is detrimental to the interest

of the working population will create difficulties in

these families. Impact of labour displacements

have surfaced in the past few years showing a crisis

situation. The concerned governments in this pre-

carious situation must work out immediate strate-

gies for reinstating workforce. Such efforts should

also address various issues raised by the workers

and should focus on addressing the basic reasons

for the deprivation of workers. Among the GCC

countries, some senior officials have acknowl-

edged the highly deplorable state of life of the

workers and have even opined that the unrest

among workers is an expression of their anger.

Governmental response to the crisis varied across

the GCC; from minimal regulation measures to rad-

ical intervention for protection of rights of the

workers. however, reports indicate that a common

GCC policy in labour related issues is in the making.

The last speaker was Dr. Inderjeet Singh Sodhi

who spoke on need for the Indian Government to

take a lead in recognizing the value of Africa based

Indian diaspora’s actual and potential contribu-

tions to development. Indian diapsora needs to

play a constructive role in enhancing relationship

between Indian and Africa in the areas of econ-

omy, trade, business and science and technology.

Gender in the Diaspora(Session IV)Chair: Dr. Margaret Walton-Robert

The Session had four papers. The first paper was

by Prof. Shu-Man Pan and Dr. Jung-Tsung Yang

on “Does Role Mobility Empower Immigrant

Women?” where they argued that family support

can transform gender roles within immigrant

households. Immigrants in extended families gain

support from family relatives, but lose opportu-

nities to change the traditional husband and wife

roles associated with childcare and housework.

Different from the predominant stereotype, most

immigrants are full-time employees or have mul-

tiple part-time jobs to support their family.

Transnational marriage gives third-world women

opportunities to move away from disadvantaged

living conditions, and gives their husbands an op-

portunity to change their gender roles in every-

day life.

The Second paper was by Ms. Latefa Narriman

Guemar who has explored the extent to which

the lack of freedom of thoughts, restrictions as-

sociated with Algerian family law and increased

violence, motivated a high number of Algerian

women to migrate during the 1990s. It looks at

the agenda and expectations of Algerian migrant

Session on “Gender in the Diaspora” (Session IV).


women and their feeling of belonging to a Dias-

pora, including digital Diasporas, that could be

used to help combat human rights abuse in their

country of origin. These raise the question of the

politics of identity in relation to social class and

gender. The paper specifically looked at the gen-

der policy of Algerian services abroad, looking at

the extent to which it reflects the Algerian gov-

ernment’s gender policy and how it affects the

engagement of Diasporas towards development

programs for “home”.

The third paper by Prof. Maznah hj Ibrahim

and Prof. Siti Rugayah on “Women of Malaysian

Diaspora in Qatar: Managing home and Manag-

ing Properties “ based on a research undertaken

in Qatar uncover the various roles hold by

Malaysian women diaspora in Qatar and to de-

scribe the challenges they faced. The emergence

of Qatar as one of the Gulf nations in oil-produc-

ing and exporting economies has no doubt con-

tributed to the increasing number of Malaysian

expatriate communities to this region. While the

Malaysian men have gone on working, the

Malaysian women manage their homes and man-

age properties in the home country. The paper

concluded by suggesting some policy initiatives

in advocating a more balance bilateral relation-

ship between the two nations in view of the new

emerging scenario in the studies of Malaysian di-

aspora in the Gulf region.

The last paper presented by Dr. Kavim V Bhat-

nagar urged the rationale and requirement for a

Return and Retirement Fund and provides recom-

mendations to the policy makers towards design-

ing such institutional mechanism that would

encourage the target population to voluntarily

save for their scheduled return and to also im-

prove their retirement incomes. Dr. Bhatnagar ar-

gued in favor of using Conditional Cash Transfers

(CCTs) mechanism for providing socioeconomic

safety net. Even with needed reforms of formal

sector pensions, part of the requirement for re-

tirement income security will need to be met

from newer instruments such as the CCTs.

Film, Theatre and Writings(Session V)

Chair: Prof. Brij Maharaj

The Sessions on Diaspora Film, Theatre and Dias-

pora Writings were put together in one session. It

had total nine papers covering broad issues on

culture: Films, Theatre and Literature.

Dr. Vishav Raksha in her paper “In search of

and Connecting to Indian Identity: The Popular

hindi Cinema and Diaspora” argued that “The cir-

culation of India’s cinema across the globe has led

to the proliferation and fragmentation of its fan-

tasy space, as its narrative and spectacle beget di-

verse fantasies for diasporic communities, and

others. Hindi cinema today is seen as a conveyorof Indianness to diverse audiences and a meansof negotiating both Indianness and its transfor-mation, particularly when representing andbeing received by diasporic populations. Hindifilms are an important element of the diasporicSouth Asian public culture. Their consumptionby an eager diaspora helps sustain a link with‘the old country’.

The paper by Dr. Shilpa Nandy on “Diaspora in

the Indian Cinema and the Notion of Indianness”

argued that the diaspora audiences can no longer

be treated as merely markets catalyzing the glob-

alization of the hindi film industry, or, as commu-


Ms. Latefa Narriman Guemar.

Dr. Vishav Raksha presenting her paper on ‘In

search of and Connecting to Indian Identity: The

Popular Hindi Cinema and Diaspora.’

nities seemingly starved of cultural resources, but

rather, as an integral part of the cultural imagery

of hindi cinema. It means that hindi cinema has

the power to influence and shape the politics of

identity of being Indians in the US. She also men-

tioned that the Hindi films have been able to per-meate various social rituals and interactionswithin socio–cultural networks that viewingpractices created, and, have sustained the expa-triate Indian’s desire to express their Indiannessand remain, at least culturally, residents ofIndia.

The paper of Ms. Alena Strohmaier “Irange-

les”– Representation of Migration in Films of the

Iranian Diaspora” is about the micro level impact

of the diaspora, contextualizing the frames of

exile, consisting of house, home and homeland.

She discussed the way in which film is shaping

identities and cultures in an increasingly global-

ized world on the basis of an analysis of spaces

and places in films of the Iranian diaspora. As of

2010 there are an estimated four to five million

Iranians living abroad, mostly in North America

and Europe.

Ms. Alice Colombo’s paper “The Empire Writes

From Within: Kali Theatre Company- a case study”

talks about the South Asian diaspora to the

United Kingdom and its cultural expression in

theatre, with particular attention to women’s

artistic productions. She observed that South

Asian women in UK suffer a double alterity, being

women and South Asian, that is increased and

underlined in the artistic field. In the meanwhile

they are challenging the male dualistic system of

“centre/periphery” because woman place them-

selves in the hic et nunc, this means that in the di-

aspora they are writing and acting in the “centre”.

The paper presented by Dr. Nandini C Sen on

“The Creation of Diaspora and its historical Sig-

nificance: A Study of Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Pop-

pies” seek to study the emergence of the concept

of diasporic entity and its existence in the multi-

vocal global village of today’s time through the

study of Ghosh’s novel. In a time of colonial up-

heaval in the mid Nineteenth century, fate has

thrown together a truly diverse cast of Indians

and Westerners, from a bankrupt Raja to a wid-

owed village woman, from a mulatto American to

a free spirited European orphan. As they sail

down the River hooghly and into the sea, their

old family ties are washed away, and they view

themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship brothers, who

will build whole new lives for themselves in the

remote islands where they are being taken.

Dr. Anshu Pandey’s paper “Diasporic Vision in

Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss” mentioned

Sessions on “Film, Theatre and Writings” (Session V) in progress.


that Globalization has put forward new ideas and

patterns of migration and proved to be a signifi-

cant force of the last two decades. Consequently,

the question of diaspora gets new direction with

particular force: the relationship between place

and identity, persona and profession and the

ways cultures, traditions, languages and litera-

tures interact. These migrant Diasporas and their

descendants experience displacement, fragmen-

tation, marginalization and discontinuity in cul-

tural discourse of the subject countries. They also

faced cultural dilemma when their cultural prac-

tices are mocked at and there is a threat to their

cultural identity. Taking the case of the novel of

South Asian Writers she observed that “The novel

is a close analysis of a person who leaves his na-

tive land and suffers from fundamental questions

of identity and existence. he leaves his native

land to earn ample amount of money, but, sur-

prisingly he has to lose so many things instead,

like loss of identity, loss of human relation, etc. he

is consciously preoccupied with the thought of

getting success, but, unconsciously, he is up-

rooted from his cultural existence”.

Dr. Deepa S P Mathur’s paper “Diasporic En-

closures in the Writings of Peter Nazareth, Vas-

sanji & Tejani” argued that diasporic writing

occupies a significant position between cultures

and countries as it constructs a new identity

which negotiates boundaries and confines and

relates to different temporal Focusing on the

work of Bahadur Tejani, Peter Nazareth and

Moyez Vassanji. her paper has attempted to ac-

count for the popularity of tropes of miscegena-

tion in the literature produced by East African

writers of South Asian descent. The appearance

of the figure of the half-caste in this body of writ-

ing is especially striking given the fact that mis-

cegenation was much derided in colonial

discourse and viewed in fear by traditionalists

within the diaspora who saw in it a violation of

the integrity of communal boundaries. This article

argues that the invocation of miscegenation, and

related ideas, was an attempt on the part of this

group of writers to reconsider the meanings of

citizenship and belonging along the broad lines

of secular humanism. In some important sense,

the halfcaste symbolised a quest for freedom

from the authority of tradition and the naturali-

sation of cultural difference during colonialism.

Dr Shaista Maseeh and Dr. Shamenaz Bano’s

paper “Diasporic Sensibility of the South Asian Writ-

ers: Nostalgia, Concern for homeland or Cashing of

Emotions” argued that the diasporian authors en-

gage in cultural transmission that is equitably ex-

changed in the manner of translating a map of

reality for multiple readerships. Besides, they are

equipped with bundles of memories and articulate

an amalgam of global and national strands that

embody real and imagined experience.”

The last paper was presented by Dr. Kanu

Priya Verma on “Diasporic Vision of African and

Indian Women Novelists” argues that the Dias-

poric writers themselves face the problems of cul-

tural conflict, caught between the homeland and

new home and so he deals with these things of

immigration and cultural displacement in their

works. Quoting Klaus Steinvorth she said “The po-

sition of Indo-English novelist is on the periphery

of their own society, they are partly even sepa-

rated from it by emigration or expatriation, which

does not mean they are sufficiently integrated in

their new society… Almost everyone of them

feels, or is considered, an outsider standing be-

tween India and the West, often led to believe

that these two complex and abstract ideas can be

reduced to a pair of simple opposites. According

to Salman Rushdie in Imaginary homelands dias-

poric writing " is obliged to be in broken mirrors,

some of whose fragments have been lost."


Ms. Alice Colombo presenting her paper on ‘The

Empire Writes From Within: Kali Theatre Com-

pany- A Case Study.’

Engaging Diaspora: TheWay Forward (Session VI:

Plenary Session II)

Chair: Ambassador J.C. Sharma.

The first speaker, Dr. Margaret Walter Roberts,

talked about four important dimensions related

to the issue of Diaspora, Migration and Develop-

ment.

1. Gender: In the current phase of increasing

migration and Diaspora, the women workers are

getting employed in host countries as nurses,

housekeepers, home-care workers, and in other

private domains. The high number of women in

the Diaspora also makes them vulnerable to ex-

ploitation relating to sexual abuse, working con-

ditions, low wage rates etc.

2. Transnational flexibility: The realm of

transnational flexibility should increase as Dias-

pora people have multiple identities, their social

practices and cultural positionalities are different.

3. The State: The role of the state is important

in formulating immigration policies and shaping

the volume and composition of migration. The il-

licit migration is taking place due to the strict im-

migration policies of the destination countries.

The state sometimes is less visible, but more pres-

ent in deciding the flow of migration. It makes

policies to facilitate immigration, but it remain

only in documentations. So the need is to make

changes in policies on ground level also.

4. Policies: The flow and volume of migration

and Diaspora depends on policies but a great

mismatch seems to exist between what is written

in polices and what is implemented in reality.

There is also a need to ensure just policies for

safeguarding the workers’ right in host countries.

She also urged for a need to rescale the

global, continental and national discourse on Di-

aspora to the level of individuals and linking the-

oretical abstractions to everyday experiences of

diasporas so that actions and initiatives started at

high level can be transcended down to house-

hold level for improving their lives.

The second speaker, Dr. Francis Matambirofa

discussed that the phenomenon of out migration

is outside of our making, yet it is inevitable. The

policies relating to migration and Diaspora are re-

actionary in nature and the thrust of these poli-


The session on ‘Engaging Diaspora: The Way Forward’ (Session VI: Plenary Session II) in progress.

Dr. Margaret Walter Roberts.

cies should rather be on managing migration. he

argued that migration is sometimes voluntary

and sometimes forcible (citing the example of

Zimbabwe where people have been flushed out

of the country in large numbers since the year

2000). As every person has a right to live in the

country, he has borned in, the factors which can

reduce emigration and which are in our control

should be strengthened and fostered. The

strengthening of democracy is essential for

achieving this end.

The Diaspora is interpreted differently by dif-

ferent sections, some see it as brain gain, others as

brain drain but in totality, humanity is set to gain

from the phenomenon of migration. The last point

he raised is that the Diaspora should facilitate theprocess of Cultural Evolution rather than Cul-tural Revolution which is happening in today’sworld.

The Third speaker, Ambassador Paramjit Sahai

raised some of the important points relating to

Diaspora. The first was the issue of how to engage

with Diaspora. he argued that this engagement

should be at all levels- global, national, regional,

interpersonal, and grass root. Further it should be

in the specialized form. he further emphasized

that the Youth’s role in engaging with Diaspora is

important but the conference remained silent on

this theme.

The shape of this engagement with Diasporahas changed in India in recent past, shiftingfrom financial engagement (in terms of remit-tances and NRI deposits) to the engagement forknowledge transfer in the last decade. he fur-

ther pointed out that the resources generated by

Diaspora should be used for rural development in

the country and the role of Ethnic media in

strengthening the links between Diaspora and

India is very important (the role of Ethnic media

in making first two PBDs successful was instru-

mental).

Discussing the role of Diaspora in the devel-

opment of host countries, he argued that host

countries have been benefited through knowl-

edge transfer, production enlargement, improved

work ethics and flexible labour markets, and tax

receipts etc. hence human rights of Diasporas

should be protected in the host societies in the

case of eruption of socio-economic problems. he

also stressed upon the role of Diaspora in main-

taining public relations between host and desti-

nation societies. he ended his speech with a need

of more attention and detailed studies on re-

turnee migrants/Diaspora and formation of a

country series in which detailed information

about Indian Diaspora in those countries, their oc-

cupation, their period of stay etc. can be recorded.

Such country series will be helpful in engaging

with Diaspora.

The fourth speaker, Professor Mizan R. Miah

spoke on the conditions of Diasporas in the de-

veloped nations and said that the Diaspora com-

munity in such countries has to face high

discrimination in the quality of jobs and wages.

he equated the condition of immigrant workers

with the condition of women in any underdevel-

oped or developing country where they are sub-

jected to all kinds of gender- based discrimina-

tion. The developed countries claim that equal

opportunity is provided to all in their territories

Ambassador Paramjit Sahai .


Dr. Francis Matambirofa.

but the practices adopted there belie this princi-

ple. Different national and state governmentshave set up institutional and structural arrange-ments for engaging with Diasporas but there isa need to intensify such efforts through greaternon-governmental interventions. Outlining the

several Diasporas networks and organizations

across the world which are working for tapping

diasporic resources for home countries, he em-

phasized on the need of telling the success stories

of Diasporas communities at home so that there

importance for sustaining development can be

understood. The last point of his presentation

was about the detrimental effect of diasporas

community which is politically active and infuse

huge sums of money in home countries (he cited

the example of Bangladesh) to change govern-

ments. The end looser in such games is the coun-

try itself.

The fifth speaker, Dr. Gabriela Tejada spoke

about the “Interlinkages between Diaspora and

Development”. Both influence each other. She

spoke about the risks associated with the phe-

nomenon of migration and the opportunities

generated for development through it. Disre-

spect of human rights, vulnerability of human in

many regards, dependence of home countries on

remittances, inequalities between native popula-

tion and Diaspora in the host country, cultural

erosion etc. are some of the risks attached with

this phenomenon. On the other hand, capital ac-

quisition, the practice of giving back to the home

societies, brain gain, targeted and big transfers of

money are the gains for the home country from

migration. Further, a large magnitude of return

migrants provides a great opportunity for the de-

velopment of the home country. The govern-

ments in the home countries, in order to magnify

the gains from this phenomenon, can engage

themselves in the skill up gradation of migrants,

public-private partnerships and proper utilization

of remittances. She stressed upon the need of en-

abling policies in both sending and receiving

countries to augment the gains from migration

and that there is a greater need of sincere efforts

from states rather than the rhetoric.

The sixth speaker, Professor Shinder S. Thandi

called for the need of states to engage more with

the people of multiple identities (The Diasporas)

at the ground level. Increasing globalization and

lesser bureaucratic impediments in India have

made the country more accessible and facilitated

high movement of NRIs to the country. But there

is still a scope of greater engagement between

government and Diaspora community.

he suggested some initiatives which can re-

sult in greater engagement between Indian gov-

ernment and the Diaspora community outside.

1. The government should develop more re-

gional cultural centers in other countries where

Diaspora people can come, meet, discuss and

reminisce. The government needs to use these

cultural spaces more efficiently.

2. Business Associations should be consti-

tuted in foreign locations for knowledge transfer

and attracting Diaspora people to invest in India.

3. The engagement should take place at ac-ademic level also. More centers should be insti-tuted which promote Diaspora studies and the

Dr. Gabriela Tejada.

Professor Mizan R. Miah.


studies of Indian culture and linguistics. The last remarks were given by the chairman

of the session, Ambassador J.C. Sharma. he

stated that challenges associate with Indian Di-

aspora are probably bigger than the challenges

relating to any other Diaspora community be-

cause of the vast diversity of Indian Diaspora. Di-

aspora studies centres are important in policy

formulation but the low employability of gradu-

ates of Diaspora studies is also a concern. Engag-

ing the youth of the Diaspora is equally vital. One

of the suggestions he gave is that Diaspora youth

should be invited to the home countries and pro-

viding them an opportunity to exchange experi-

ences with students and teachers. he cited the

example of an initiative jointly started by Israeli

government and Jewish Diaspora outside in

which both parties have contributed USD 50

million to help all Jewish youth to spend mini-

mum of six months in Israel. The Indian govern-

ment can also think about starting an

experiment on similar lines. The contribution of

Indian Diaspora in the Development of host

countries should be highlighted for influencing

the immigration policies. Practices like Data

banking and management of information

should be initiated to have a greater engage-

ment with Diaspora. About labour rights of im-

migrant workers, he admitted that not much

progress has been made on this front. Except

some Developed countries, very little is known

about the host government policies for safe-

guarding the rights of Diaspora workers. This is

an area which requires further investigation. In

the end, he emphasized that Private Interna-

tional Laws are highly needed considering the

vast complexity and a wide array of legal issues

(Social issues, marriages, custody, property Dis-

putes, extradition etc. are emerging) that Dias-

pora have to face. Vital inputs are needed from

scholars to make such laws effective and work-

able.

Dignitaries at the Valedictory Session of the conference on September 8.


Professor Shinder S. Thandi

Valedictory SessionThe valedictory session of the conference was

presided over by Prof. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice

Chancellor of the IGNOU. In his address he said

that the diaspora and migrant population are

contributing towards the social economic devel-

opment of their home countries. Their cultural

links with their birth place motivate them to

contribute towards the development of their

home state.

Prof. Brij Maharaj highlighted the outcome of

the conferences and mentioned some of the im-

portant issues that rose in the discussion. The in-

ternational movement of skilled workers and

labourers is viewed as a worldwide phenomenon

associated with the closing decades of the 20th

century. The globalisation of the world markets

has paved the way for the movement of people

with scarce skills across national boundaries with

relative ease. Professionals have been extremely

susceptible, given their particular knowledge and

skills base. The trend is for such professionals

from developing countries to fill the gaps in the

labour market in developed countries.

Increasingly, migrants are shuttling between

countries and home, rather than settling in one

state. Such migrants are referred to as transna-

tionals who forge and sustain multiple connec-

tions across national borders at their free will.

Simultaneously, there are also increasing restric-

tions on the mobility of those who are likely to be

perceived as an economic burden, leading to ex-

clusion and the rise in xenophobia and other

forms of prejudice. Until recently, women were

largely invisible in migration processes. The fem-

inization of migration is receiving more attention.

In the developing world remittances from in-ternational migrants are vital for survival and amajor source of income to pay for rent, homeconstruction, medical expenses, school fees,business investment, and a variety of other ac-tivities. A major problem is the difficulty andhigh cost involved in transferring money homevia formal financial institutions.

The diaspora focus acknowledges that most

migrants were unlikely to return to their home

country, but have an interest in supporting

growth and development in their place of origin.

Migrants can use their networks and associations

in their new country to promote development in

their country of origin. Expatriates have an oppor-

tunity to transfer their expertise and skills to the

country of origin without necessarily returning

home permanently. Beyond direct economics,

there are also cultural connections via film, the-

atre and literature which connect the diaspora

with the home country.

Shri G. Gurucharan, CEO of Indian Council of

Overseas Employment, Ministry of Overseas In-

dian Affairs who was the Chief Guest of the Vale-

dictory Session spoken about the strategic

engagement with Indian diaspora. he said “while

overseas community can add value to the devel-

opment process, that is certainly not the solution

to the entire problems of the developing coun-

tries”. While engaging diaspora, every nation-state should think about strategic developmentthat includes various factors such as the stageof development of the home country as wellhost country, the dialectic of relationship withthe host country. This strategic engagementvaries from nation states to nation-states.

he emphasized that “India is looking forward

to engage with the scientific and technological

community of overseas Indians. Overseas Indians

and Chinese have triggered the knowledge based

innovation backhome”. This should be a strategic

intervention. Talking about the importance of cul-

tural aspects of Indian diaspora, he said the

emerging new cultural narratives of the overseas

community is very important for building the di-

asporic bond. Life is not about dollars and cents;

Chief Guest Shri G. Gurucharan, CEO of Indian

Council of Overseas Employment, MOIA, speak-

ing at the Valedictory Session.


it is much more than that. Culture is a very impor-

tant issue of while discussing diasporic engage-

ment with their homeland.

Conference Outcome and RecommendationsThe outcome of the conference has been far

reaching. It has helped in building of a knowl-

edge base for future deliberations considering

the wide ranging issues that were covered. More-

over the following inputs came up as issues for

policy consideration. The recommendations

need a multipronged strategy and interdepart-

mental, ministerial coordination and multiple

stakeholder co-ordination with civil society par-

ticipation

1. The temporal and region specific flows, skill

nature and volume and third country origin and

destination in migration and Diaspora issues can

depend on regulation and policies. Focus can be

on the current mismatch that exist between

what is written in polices and what is imple-

mented in reality, to begin with. There is also a

need to ensure just policies for safeguarding the

workers’ right in host countries.

2. Diaspora should facilitate the processes of Cul-

tural Evolution rather than Cultural Revolution

which is happening in today’s world. The en-

gagement should be on all levels- global, na-

tional, regional, interpersonal, and grass root.

Specialized and unique processes of agency wide

deliberations need to be conceptualized and is-

ntitutionalized.

3. The resources generated by Diaspora should

be used for development activities of the home

countries such as rural development, education,

healthcare and capacity building.

4. The role of Ethnic media in strengthening the

links between Diaspora and India is very impor-

tant.

5. The government should develop more re-

gional cultural centers in other countries where

Diaspora people can come, meet, discuss and

reminisce. The government needs to use these

cultural spaces more efficiently.

6. Business Associations should be constituted in

foreign locations for knowledge transfer and at-

tracting Diaspora people to invest in India.

7. The engagement should take place at aca-

demic level also. More centers should be insti-

tuted which promote Diaspora studies and the

studies of Indian culture and linguistics.

8. Practices like Data banking and management

of information should be initiated to have a

greater engagement with the Diaspora.

9. There is a need for labor rights of immigrant

workers. Very little is known about the host gov-

ernment policies for safeguarding the rights of

Diaspora workers. This is an area which requires

further investigation.

10. Private International Laws are highly needed

considering the vast complexity and a wide array

of legal issues (Social issues, marriages, custody,

property Disputes, extradition etc. are emerging)

that Diaspora to faces. Vital inputs are needed

from scholars to make such laws effective and

workable.

11. Issue of Diaspora and security is an important

area of concern considering how the diaspora

can be misused with reference to fund flow and

other threats related to national sovereignty etc

12. There is a strong need for engaging with the

scientific and technological community of over-

seas Indians. Diaspora engagement in knowl-

edge based innovations is proven to be success.

Technological specificity, both substantive and

incremental need to be recognized prima facie

based on immediate value adding, convergence

criteria via a vis diverse indigeneous technology



and high tech mainstream institutional research

in Indian Universities and research laboratories.

13. There is a need for Policy think tank to provide

research input on diaspora related issues. hence

the proposed MOIA-IGNOU Centre for Diaspora

Studies should undertake various research activ-

ities subserving relevant national and global

causes.

14. high number of women in the diaspora in re-

cent years makes them vulnerable to exploitation

relating to sexual abuse, working conditions and

cross country legal, linguistic problems located in

gendered, racial, nationalistic outcomes. There is

a need for special provision to safeguard the

women workers.

15. Transnational flexibility should increase as di-

aspora people have multiple identitities, their so-

cial and cultural positionings are different, fluidic

and convenient. Policy must take into account

the evolutionary trend and facilitate the emerg-

ing demographic, cultural, socio-political trends

in positive manner for the peace and prosperity

of the humanity as a whole.

Tuesday, 6th September, 2011: Welcome at Convention Centre, IGNOU, New Delhi16: 00- 21: 00 hrs: Greetings, Registration, Cultural Event and Dinner

Day 1: Wednesday, 7th September, 2011

Inauguration 9: 45 - 11:15 hrs, Main Hall, Convention Centre

Welcome Dr. Latha Pillai, Pro Vice Chancellor

Release of Conference Compendium Dr. A. Didar Singh hon’ble Secretary, MOIA, GOI

Presidential Address Prof. VN Rajasekharan Pillai, hon’ble

Vice Chancellor

Key Note Address Prof. Mizan R. Miah, Director, School of Social

Work, Southern Illinois University, USA

Address by Chief Guest Dr. A. Didar Singh hon’ble Secretary, MOIA, GOI

Vote of Thanks Prof. B.K. Pattanaik, Conference Coordinator

11:15-11:30 h : High Tea

Session I : 11:30- 13:30 h, Main Hall, Convention CentrePlenary I : Diaspora and Development Dynamics: Issues, Strategies and PracticesChair : Prof. R.K. JainDiscussant : Dr. Mohammad Salahuddin, Rapporteur : Dr. Smita Tiwari

1. The Promotion of International Best Practice in the Field of Diaspora Strategy: A Critical Reflection

on the Experience of Policy Transfer to Date – Prof. Mark Boyle & Dr. Rob Kitchin

2. The Link with a home Country: A Comparative Analysis of host-country Environments for Diaspora

Engagement – Dr. Metka hercog, Dr. Gabriela Tejada, Dr. Christiane Kuptsch & Prof. Jean-Claude

Bolay

3. The African Brain Drain – Causes, Costs, Consequences – Prof. Brij Maharaj

4. Contrasting regional migration and diaspora-led transformation in Kerala and Punjab: Is it evidence

of migration-led development? – Dr. Margaret Walton-Roberts

13:30-14:15 h : Lunch IGNOU Guest House

Session II : 14:15-16:30h, Main Hall, Convention CentreParallel Session I : Politics of Inclusion and ExclusionChair : Prof. A.S. NarangDiscussant : Dr. Nandini SenRapporteurs : Ms. Khushboo Jain & Dr. Smita Tiwari

1. Diasporic International Relations: Agent of Change as Soft Power Diplomacy – Dr. Samson S. Chiru

2. Joining the Mainstream Bandwagon: A Study of Political Participation of Indian Diaspora in the

United States – Prof. Mohammed Badrul Alam

ANNEXTURE I

Programme


3. Being Tibetan in Shimla: Cultural hybridity and Social Development of the Tibetan Diaspora - Dr.

Renuka Thapliyal and Dr. Vibha Arora

4. Fluid Boundaries and Diaspora: Multiple Identities and Globalizing Networks - Dr. Manisha Tripathy

Pandey

5. The Role of Ethnic Diasporas in the Innovative Development of Post Soviet Era - Dr. Sergey Krivov

6. Muslim Diaspora and European Identity: The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion - Dr. Branislav Radelji

7. Diaspora, Cultural Disintegration and Underdevelopment: The Case of Zimbabwe in the Last Ten

Years (2001 – 2011) - Dr. Francis Matambirofa

Session II : 14:15-16:30h, Room No: 5, Convention CentreParallel Session II : Human DevelopmentChair : Prof. Sanjoy K. NayakDiscussant : Dr. Bijulal M.V.Rapporteur : Ms. Sheetal Agarwal

1. Diaspora as a Knowledge Community in Policy Making for Nation Building of Post-War Sri Lanka –

Mr. Chaminda hettiarachchi

2. UNDP “Global Armenia” initiative: a platform for transferring Armenian Diaspora’s expertise, experi-

ence and financial resources to the homeland for advancing human development – Mr. Armen Bai-

bourtian

3. “Brain drain” from Greece: “Unskilled” people migrating to Greece from Less Developed Countries

while Greek professionals migrate to Developed Countries –Prof. Lois Labrianidis

4. Brain circulation and Indian development: A perspective from Australia and New Zealand - Dr. Ward-

low Friesen

5. Reverse Brain Drain: Millennial Strategies by Developed and Developing Countries - Dr. Anjali Sahay

6. Philanthropy and Sustainable Development in Regional Towns: Role of Diaspora Telugus in Guntur

- Dr. T.L.S.Bhaskar

7. The diaspora as carrier of soft knowledge for development to the home country: evidence from

highly skilled Filipino migrants in New Zealand and Australia – Ms. Sheila Siar

16: 30 – 16: 45 h : Tea Break

Session III : 16:45-18:45h, Main Hall, Convention CentreParallel I : Diaspora Finance and Socio-Economic Development Chair : Ambassador Paramjit Sahai,Discussant : Dr. Wardlow FriesenRapporteur : Dr. Smita Tiwari

1. Indonesian Migrant Workers: Foreign Exchange heroes?- Mr. Agung Setiyo Wibowo

2. On Some Aspects of Labour Migration and Remittances in Indian Experience –Mr. Akhil Alha

3. Proposals, Possibilities and Realities: Diaspora Linkages and Investments in the homeland: The South

West Cameroon’s Example - Dr. Richard Agbor Ayukndang Enoh

4. Can the Diaspora be an agent of Development? Assesing the role of diaspora finance in Punjab’s

economic development – Prof. Shinder S. Thandi

5. Africa’s Money in Africa: The Impact of Remittance on Investment and Economic Development- Dr.

Osabuohien Evans & Dr. Efobi Uchenna

6. Remittance Inflow into Rural Economy of Bangladesh- Prof. Md. Saiful Islam, howlader Abubakar &

Syed Afroz Keramat


7. A Causal Note on The Relationship Between Migrants’ Remittances And Economic Growth In

Bangladesh –Dr. Mohammad Salahuddin & Dr. S M Shafiul Alam

8. India’s Diaspora Connect: Financial Instruments, Strategy and Options - Dr. R P Pradhan

9. Diaspora Bonds and the Caribbean: Tapping into Innovative Financing Mechanisms-Mr. Jwala Ram-

barran

Session III : 16:30-18:45 h, Room No: 5, Convention CentreParallel Session II : Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion Chair : Ambassador J.C. SharmaDiscussant : Dr. Mohammed Badrul AlamRapporteur : Mr. Akhil Alha

1. Diaspora in Mauritius: Recipe for Contested Development - honita Cowaloosur2. Old Faiths and Global Organisational Frames - Dr. Kiranmayi Bhushi3. The Dark Side of ‘Diaspora’ in Africa’s Great Lakes Region- Mr. Sabastiano Rwengabo4. The Impact of Turkish Diasporic Community Living in Germany on German and Turkish Laws – Ms.

hande Unsal,5. Incidence of Elder Abuse Among South Asian Immigrants in the US: Quest for Some Remedies –

Prof. Pramod Kumar Mishra6. Do numbers matter? Role of Indian Diaspora from Smaller States – Dr. K M Baharul Islam7. On the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Rel-

atives of Overseas Chinese – Prof. Guofu Liu8. Migrant Work and human Rights in the GCC Countries: Some pointers in the context of Labour Un-

rest –Dr. Bijulal M.V9. Indian African Diaspora’s Role in Economic Growth and Development in India- A Study in Context

of Tanzania and Kenya - Dr. Inderjeet Singh Sodhi

19:30-20:15 : Dinner, IGNOU Guest House

Day 2 : Thursday, 8th September 2011 Session IV : 9:00 to 11:00h, Main Hall, Convention CentreParallel Session I : Human DevelopmentChair : Prof. Shinder S. ThandiDiscussant : Mr. Jwala RambarranRapporteur : Ms. Sheetal Agarwal

1. Tapping Talents in India through Diasporas Network: Opportunities and Challenges- Dr. Falendra

Kumar Sudan

2. Rethinking Development through Dynamics of Skilled human Migration from India- Dr. Leena Singh

3. Knowledge Diasporas: Educational Migration and Transnational Development - Ms. Maria Sian

Chavan.

4. Moroccan Reef Diaspora: history, Effects, and Plan for Development - Dr. Ilyass Balga

5. A South-South Approach to Migration and Development: Some Reflections on the Experiences of

Overseas Filipino Workers – Ms. Lermie Shayne S. Garcia

6. Indian Diapora and Knowledge Transfer: Myth or Reality –Mr. Jeetendra D. Soni

7. harnessing Diasporas for Grassroot Development: A study in Rural Punjab – Mr. Apneet Riyait

Session IV : 9:00- 11:00 h, Room No: 5, Convention CentreParallel Session II : Gender in the DiasporaChair : Prof. Margaret Walton-RobertsDiscussant : Dr. Kiranmayee BhusiRapporteur : Ms. Khushboo Jain


1. Does role mobility empower immigrant women? – Prof. Shu-Man Pan & Dr. Jung-Tsung Yang

2. Women of the New Algerian Diaspora: Networks, Social Consciousness and Political Engagement

Ms. Latefa Narriman Guemar

3. Women of Malaysian Diaspora in Qatar: Managing home and Managing Properties - Prof. Maznah

hj Ibrahim & Prof. Siti Rugayah

4. Rationale for Establishing a Return and Retirement Fund for Indian Overseas Women Migrant

Workers in the ECR Countries - Dr. Kavim V Bhatnagar

11: 00- 11: 15h : Tea Break

Session V : 11:15 to 1:30h, Main Hall, Convention CentreParallel Session I : Film & Theatre and WritingsChair : Prof. Brij MaharajDiscussant : Prof. Malti MathurRapporteur : Dr. Sadananda Sahoo

1. In search of and connecting to Indian Identity: the popular hindi cinema and Diaspora - Dr. Vishav

Raksha

2. From Cultural Degradation to Cultural Recognition: Indian Diaspora through hindi Movies (Bol-

loywood)- Dr. Tapasi Ghosh

3. Diaspora in the Indian Cinema and the Notion of Indianness - Dr. Shilpa Nandy

4. “Irangeles”– Representation of Migration in Films of the Iranian Diaspora – Ms. Alena Strohmaier

5. The Empire writes from within: Kali Theatre Company- A case study – Ms. Alice Colombo

6. The creation of Diaspora and its historical significance: A Study of Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies

- Dr. Nandini C Sen

7. Diasporic vision in Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss - Dr. Anshu Pandey

8. Diasporic Enclosures in the Writings of Peter Nazareth, Vassanji & Tejani- Dr. Deepa S P Mathur

9. Diasporic Sensibility of the South Asian Writers: Nostalgia, Concern for homeland or Cashing of

Emotions - Dr. Shaista Maseeh & Dr. Shamenaz Bano

10. Diasporic Vision of African Women Novelists- Dr. Kanu Priya Verma

13: 30- 14:15 h : Lunch , IGNOU Guest House

Session VI : 14:15- 16:15 h, Main Hall Convention CentrePlenary II : Engaging Diaspora: The Way ForwardChair : Ambassador J.C. SharmaRapporteur : Mr. Akhil Alha

Panelists1. Dr. Margaret Walton Roberts 2. Dr. Francis Matambirofa

3. Ambassador Paramjit Sahai 4. Prof. Mizan R Miah

5. Dr. Gabriela Tejada 6. Prof. Shinder S. Thandi



16:15- 16:30 h : Tea Break

Valedictory Session : 16.30 – 17.30 h, Main Hall, Convention Centre

Welcome : Prof. Velayutham Saravanan, Director, SOITS

Remarks : Dr. Latha Pillai, PVC

Valedictory Address : Shri G. Gurucharan, CEO, Indian Council of Overseas

Employment (ICOE), MOIA, New Delhi

Conference outcome : Prof. Brij Maharaj, University of KwaZulu-Natal,

South Africa

Presidential Remarks : Prof. Prof. VN Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor

Vote of Thanks : Dr. Sadananda Sahoo, Joint Coordinator of the Conference

Sl.No. List of Participants

1. Agrawal, Ayushi, School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary (SOITS) IGNOU

2. Agarwal, Sheetal, SSS, JNU, New Delhi

3. Agarwal, Tasha, SOITS, IGNOU

4. Agung, Wibowo Setiyo, Researcher, Jl. Mampang Prapatan XIV. No.33B Jakarta 12790 Indonesia

5. Ahnaf, P.C. , School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS), IGNOU

6. Alam, Mohammed Badrul, Professor, Dept. of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia

Islamia University, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi

7. Alam, Naushad SOSW, IGNOU

8. Alha, Akhil, Research Scholar, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University,

New Delhi

9. Ali, K., MAEDS, IGNOU

10. Anand, Pankaj, SOITS, IGNOU

11. Arora,Vibha, Department of humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi

12. Attri, Alka, SOITS, IGNOU

13. Bharaswaj, Ramesh, Gwalior University, Madhya Pradesh

14. Bano, Shamenaz, Assistant Professor, Dept of Professional Communication, AIET, Allahabad

15. Bhaskar, T.L.S, Project Coordinator, Indian Council of Overseas Employment, East of Kailash, New

Delhi, India

16. Bhatnagar, Kavim V., Sr. Pension Consultant, 321 Shriniketan Plot 1 Sector 7, Dwarka, New Delhi

17. Bijulal, M.V., Assistant Professor , School of International Relations and Politics, M.G University, Kot-

tayam, Kerala.

18. Bisht, Monika, SOITS, IGNOU

19. Boyle, Mark, Chair in Geography and head of the Department of Geography, NUI Maynooth, County

Kildare, Ireland

20. Cham, Khyo, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

21. Chau, Tu Ngoc, Vietnam

22. Chouhan, Pinky, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

23. Chiru, Samson S., Independent researcher, who is currently affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University,

New Delhi

24. Cowaloosur, honita, Ph.D. Student, University of St Andrews, Scotland

25. Farooqi, Nehal, SOEDS, IGNOU

26. Das, Krishnaxi, Doctoral Fellow, JNU, New Delhi

27. Das, Surojit, Asst Prof. in Political Science, Abhetananda Mahavidyalay, West Bengal

28. Evans, Osabuohien, Lecturer, Dept. of Economics & Development Studies and Dept. of Accounting,

Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

29. Friesen,Wardlow, Senior Lecturer, School of Environment, University of Auckland, New Zealand

30. Garai, Debasena, Asst Prof. in Sociology, Birbhum Mahavidyalay, West Bengal

31. Garg, Mansi, SOEDS, IGNOU

32. Gopal, D., Dept. of Political Science, IGNOU

33. Guemar, Latefa Narriman, Ph.D. student and Research Associate, Centre for Migration Policy, Re-

search, Swansea University, Department of human Geography, Margam Building, Singleton Park,

SA2 8PP, U.K

34. Guofu Liu, Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

35. Gurucharan, G., CEO, Indian Council of Overseas Employment (ICOE), Ministry of Overseas Indian

Affair, New Delhi

36. hangah, hussine B., Add: Institute of West Asian Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43650

UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia.


ANNEXTURE II

37. hercog, Metka, Scientific researcher, CM 2 202, Station 10, Ch-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

38. hettiarachchi, Chaminda, Associate Director –RCSS, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS),

68/1, Sarasavi Lane, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka

39. Ibrahim, Maznah hj, Research Fellow/Lecturer, Institut Kajian Rantau Asia Barat/Pusat Pengajian

Umum, Institute of West Asian Studies / Center for General Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

40. Illath, Muneer, Asst. Professor, Department of Sociology, Allahabad University, Allahabad

41. Islam, K.M. Baharul, Consultant, African Development Bank, NICTSP Mid-Term Review, National Com-

puter Board, Stratton Court, Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius

42. Islam, Saiful, Economics Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh

43. Jain, Divya, SOEDS, IGNOU

44. Jain, Khushbo, Delhi University, Delhi

45. Jain, R.K., 770, Block 'B', Palamvihar, Gurgaon- 122017, haryana

46. Jain, Shobhita, 770, Block 'B', Palamvihar, Gurgaon- 122017, haryana

47. Jaseel, SOEDS, IGNOU

48. Kapoor, Dileep, SOEDS, IGNOU

49. Kapur, Nandini Sinha, Associate Profesossor, SOITS, IGNOU

50. Karmakar, Abhisek, Asst Prof in Political Science, RRRM

51. Kakati, Nitumani, SOSS, IGNOU

52. Kaushik, Komal, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

53. Keramat, Syed Afroz, Bangladesh

54. Khan, A.M., SOSW, IGNOU

55. Kiran, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

56. Kiranmayi Bhushi, Associate Professor, Sociology Faculty, Indira Gandhi National Open University,

New Delhi

57. Kothari, Sunil, 94, Asiad Village, New Delhi-110049

58. Krivov, Sergey, Associate Professor, Department of Political Theory, Nizhnij Novgorod State University

Russia

59. Kumar Ashwin, SOITS IGNOU

60. Kumar, Alok, Project Coordinator, Indian Council of Overseas Employment, MOIA, E-34, East of

Kailash, New Delhi-110065

61. Kumar, Pradeep, SOEDS, IGNOU

62. Kumar, Praveen, SOITS, IGNOU

63. Kumar, Ratheesh, Asst. Prof. SOITS, IGNOU

64. Kumar, Rohit, SOEDS, IGNOU

65. Kumar, Rohit, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

66. Kumar, Prasenjeet, MATS, IGNOU

67. Kumar, Vinod, JNU, New Delhi

68. Kumari, Bandana, SOITS, IGNOU

69. Kunal, Kishor, SOEDS, IGNOU

70. Kusum, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

71. Madhubala, SOSS, IGNOU

72. Mahalingam, JNU, New Delhi

73. Mahapatra, Subhakanta, SOITS, IGNOU

74. Maharaj, Brij, Professor in School of Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

75. Maharshi, Manish, Govt. College Ratnagarh, Rajasthan

76. Maseeh, Shaista, Ph.D. ( English), Faculty in Department of English and European Languages, Uni-

versity of Allahabad

77. Matambirofa, Francis, Director, African Languages Research Institute, University of Zimbabwe, P.O.

Box MP 167, Mt Pleasant, harare, Zimbabwe


78. Mathew, Rajesh, SOITS, IGNOU

79. Mathur, Deepa S P, Assistant Professor, L-6-D, University Campus, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur

80. Mathur, Malti, Professor in English, School of humanities, IGNOU, New Delhi

81. Miah Mizan R, Director & Professor, School of Social Work, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

82. Mishra, Pramod Kumar, Professor in Department of Political Science and International Relations,

Adis Ababa University, Ethiopia

83. Mishra, Pratibha, SOEDS, IGNOU

84. Mishra, Pruti, SOEDS, IGNOU

85. Md. Mubeen, MAEDS, IGNOU

86. Nandy, Shilpa, Assistant Professor in Political Science, Khudiram Bose Central College, Kolkata

87. Narang, A.S, Professor in Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, IGNOU

88. Narang, Ankita, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

89. Nayak, Sanjoy K., Advisor on-call in hRh & International Migration, World health Organisation,

hQ/Geneva ; EURO/Copenhagen and CC/ Amsterdam.

90. Nemching, Grace Don, Asst Professor, SOEDS, IGNOU

91. Nitesh, School of Social Work, IGNOU

92. Colombo, Alice, Vice-President Yllary (Intercultural Association for women) and freelance social re-

searcher on migration

93. Pan, Shu-Man, Professor, Graduate Institute of Social Work, National TaiwanNormal University, Tai-

wan

94. Pandey, Anshu, Department of English, C M P Degree College, University of Allahabad

95. Pandey, M.K. , MOIA, Delhi

96. Pandey, Manisha Tripathy, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New

Delhi-25.

97. Pandey, Neha, SOITS, IGNOU

98. Pandey, Niti, SOITS, IGNOU

99. Parasher, Ananya, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

100. Pattanaik, B.K., Director, School of Extension and Development Studies, IGNOU

101. Pillai, VNR, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University

102. Pillai, Latha, Pro Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University

103. Pontnuru, Basant, Research Officer, ICOE, MOIA

104. Pradhan R P, Assistant Professor, humanities & Management Group, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus

105. Prehar, Shruti, SOGDS, IGNOU

106. Radeljic, Branislav, Associate Lecturer in International Politics, University of East London, UK

107. Rai, Ravi Shankar, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

108. Rajpal, JNU, New Delhi

109. Raju, Arjun, Research Assistant, ICOE, MOIA

110. Raksha, Vishav, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Jammu

111. Rambarran, Jwala, Chairman, National Institute for higher Education, Research Science & Technology

(NIhERST), Trinidad & Tobago

112. Ramadas, Ranjith, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

113. Ramanujam, PR, Professor and Pro-Vice Chancellor, IGNOU

114. Rana, Dushyant, SOITS, IGNOU

115. Ranjan, Rakesh, SOITS, IGNOU

116. Ray, Vijay K. Dept. of English, SRM University

117. Remesh, Babu P, SOITS, IGNOU

118. Riahi, Arash T, Vienna, Austria

119. Roberts, Margaret Walton, Geography and ES Dept, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave W.,

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5


120. Rwengabo, Sabastiano, Ph.D Student, Department of Political Science:: Faculty of Arts and Social

Sciences, National University of Singapore

121. Sachdeva, Silpi, SOEDS, IGNOU

122. Sahai, Paramjit, (Former IFS) CRRID, 1656, Sector 7-C, Chandigarh 160019

123. Sahay, Anjali, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Program Director, International

Studies, Department of Political Science, Gannon University

124. Sahoo, Ajay K., Asst. Professor, Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora, University of hyderabad, hyderabad

125. Sahoo, Sadananda, Asst. Prof. SOITS, IGNOU

126. Salahuddin Mohammad, Assistant Professor, School of Business Studies, Southeast University, Road-

18, house-64, Block-B, Banani, Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh

127. Saravanan, Velayutham, Director, SOITS, IGNOU

128. Sen,. Nandini C., Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla. Associate Professor, Dept. of

English, Delhi University

129. Sheikh, Rafiq, Research Scholar, SOITS, IGNOU

130. Sharma, J.C., Former Secretary, MEA

131. Shareef, MAEDS, IGNOU

132. Mahapatra, Subhakanta, Asst. Prof. SOITS, IGNOU

133. Sashidhar, P.V.K., Associate Professor, SOEDS, IGNOU

134. Siar, Sheila, PhD candidate (Development Studies), University of Auckland

135. Sinclair, Parvin, Professor and Pro Vice Chancellor, IGNOU

136. S. Singh, A. Didar, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affair, Government of India

137. Singh, Leena, Assistant Professor (Corporate Management), School of Management Studies, IGNOU,

New Delhi

138. Singh, Ravinder, JNU, New Delhi

139. Siti, Rugayah hj Tibek, Institute of West Asian Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43650 UKM

Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

140. Sherwani, Zeba, SOITS, IGNOU

141. Sodhi, Inderjeet Singh, Associate Professor (Public Administration), University of Dodoma, Tanzania

142. Soni, Jeetendra D., lecturer at M.J.D. Government College, Taranagar, Churu, Rajasthan (India)

143. Strohmaier, Alena, PhD Student / University of Vienna

144. Sudan, Falendra Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Jammu, Jammu,

Jammu and Kashmir – 180 006

145. Sujit, SOITS, IGNOU

146. Tanwar, Pooja, SOITS, IGNOU

147. Tejada, Gabriela, Scientific Researcher, CM 2 202, Station 10, Ch-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

148. Thandi Shinder S., Professor, Coventry University, UK

149. Thapa, Anuradha, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

150. Tiwari, Smita, JNU, New Delhi

151. Tripathi, Ajeeta, School of Gender and Development, IGNOU

152. Uchenna, Efobi, Lecturer, Dept. of Economics & Development Studies and Dept. of Accounting,

Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

153. Unsal, handey, Ph.D. Candidate in Ankara Law School in the Department of Private International

Law, Turkey

154. Vergese, Neha, Asst Professor, SOEDS, IGNOU

155. Verma, Kanu Priya, I.S.D.C.,Allahabad, University of Allahabad.

156. Vidya, Subhangi, Asst. Prof. SOITS, IGNOU

157. Yang, Jung-Tsung, Assistant Professor Jung-Tsung Yang, Department of Sociology, National Taipei

University, TAIWAN

158. Yanthan, Zajano, SOITS, IGNOU


Further information and contact:Prof. B.K. Pattanaik

Conference Coordinator, E-mail: [email protected]. Sadananda Sahoo

Joint Coordinator, E-mail: [email protected]

Dignitaries in the conference

Conference Participants browsing books

Participants in the session on “Gender in the Diaspora”

Cultural evening on 6th

September 2011

Prof. Brij Maharaj receiving a mementofrom Prof. V. Saravanan.

Conference participants

interacting during the tea break

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