Priya Kumar

This working paper investigates the Palestinian diaspora in the context of transnational digital linkages. Mapping results confirm that the World Wide Web has revolutionized both the opportunities and the motivations surrounding community advocacy. Indeed, the Palestinian case is no exception; few communities have experienced such complex struggles for statehood in such a public display. For over 50 years, conflict has remained rooted in the identity of many Palestinians, and present-day diaspora networks are no different. Virtual activity largely focuses on current news and political affairs. In addition, mapping results indicate that advocacy is often expressed in the form of personal reflection blogging, ground protest mobilization and dynamic media outlets. The paper concludes by highlighting both the virtual and the physical impacts of networked linkages as beyond rooted struggles for statehood, narratives continue to evolve.

This working paper explores contemporary Sikh narratives as represented on the World Wide Web. Virtual platforms serve as an outlet of expression for the Sikh diaspora, a community largely characterized by voluntary economic-based migration. As mapping results indicate, community dialogue focuses on questions of identity, culture and religion. The above are often countered with sentiments of injustice and reconciliation linked to the tragic events of 1984: Operation Blue Star. How such narratives weave themselves into community consciousness is analyzed in greater detail within the paper. This also includes the impact of diasporic demographic realities within various immigration hubs such as Canada, the UK and the US. The paper concludes with discussion on contemporary notions of community consciousness and cultural advocacy. In pursuit of relevancy, the Sikh diaspora continues to promote relatively fluid narrative, the impacts of which are yet to be determined.

With a focus on the Sikh diaspora, this chapter undertakes an exploratory approach and investigates the complexities of identity reconciliation in the context of virtual blogging networks. It argues that as a platform of expression, blogs provide the individual with a relatively open space to tinker and toy with their own identity. This is often in relation to overarching mainstream narrative constructs, which may be a source of alienation for diaspora populations. I argue that negotiating one’s identity on such an open virtual platform renders such individuals as “publicly anonymous.” Interactive in nature, blogging is a performance of sorts, with flows of information being presented and exchanged publicly. Discussions can be contentious, with socio-political commentary often evoking emotions amongst respective authors and followers. In this respect, we can understand how the reactive nature of blogging can widen the normative underpinnings of narratives. That being said, compared to other public platforms, bloggers still have the capacity to maintain relative anonymity – should they desire. Aside from the standard age, sex and location details, bloggers maintain anonymity through the personalized nature of their virtual expressions. Both the frequency and style of postings are entirely at the discretion of the author. Issue- and activity-specific, the overall conviction of virtual postings cannot be negated. As a form of “public brainstorming,” blogging often underlines an attempt to reconcile an individual’s internal strife, foreshadowing a very personal experience of negotiation. As explored in this chapter, for bloggers of the Sikh diaspora, this often entails an untangling of the perceived knots of hybrid identity.

http://www.palgraveconnect.com/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9781137462534.0019

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jtsaBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT174&dq=publicly+anonymous+sikh+blogging+lori+way&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1nrAVJ6mD5G0yASNxoCYBg&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=publicly%20anonymous%20sikh%20blogging%20lori%20way&f=false

For Blogosphere Exploration:
http://maps.e-diasporas.fr/index.php?focus=value&graph=72&map=59&nodeattribute=3&section=27&value=blog

This article focuses on the Tamil diaspora in the context of virtual networks. Contemporary linkages stem from decades of civil unrest within Sri Lanka. The Tamil community has found much unity in perceived injustices and marginalization following
a violent mass exodus during the 1980s. Quests for political validation and statehood in North-East Sri Lanka have transferred to virtual platforms. Subsequent networks
are both sophisticated and dynamic, proactively transcending borders, propelling transnational linkages forward. Between the virtual and physical, the article investigates how respective communities network and expand online. This includes mapping online activities, which characteristically focus on current affairs and ground realities. Indeed, the Web provides a platform of engagement, which in a quest for legitimacy has
expanded the networked opportunities available for the greater Tamil diaspora.

For mapping data:
http://maps.e-diasporas.fr/index.php?focus=section&section=26

Examining the Sikh diaspora, a community rooted in the ‘land of five rivers’ (Punjab, India) – this talk presents an online view of diaspora identity politics, one valuable for policymakers and researchers of migration studies, citizenship, security, new media, and transnational social movements in many parts of the world. It is adapted from a PhD dissertation authored by the presenter and completed at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. The research uses data from the e-Diasporas Atlas project (http://www.e-diasporas.fr/), data obtained from web-based content analysis and key informant interviews with Sikh community members to better understand how social media and other web 2.0 technologies are shaping and reshaping Sikh identity in the 21st century. It offers insight into how the diasporic experience is being articulated online by second/third generation Sikhs, by highlighting key generational differences that continue to surround public discussions on articles of faith (including Turban advocacy) and community grievances. In particular, it examines how web 2.0 technologies can support and enable more grass root public and personalized forms of diaspora identity politics, as well as the growing interconnectedness between online political participation, identity-based expressions, and offline political mobilization activities.

Wi-Fi, smartphones, and all associated phenomena have permeated lives all around the globe. We are just seeing the first generation of humans to grow up with these things – the first of the ‘digital natives’.

Interviewed by:
Lindsay Kobayashi of PLOS Public Health Perspectives

We expect that by 2017, 85% of the world’s population will be covered by a commercial wireless signal (1). Wireless networks cross state borders. However, ethics and governance mechanisms for virtual technology are still unclear, and particularly so for apps on hand-held devices.

Interviewed by:
Lindsay Kobayashi of PLOS Public Health Perspectives