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Digital diasporas' challenge to traditional power: the case of TibetBoard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2011

Abstract

This article examines power implications of digital diasporas and the identity negotiation processes they afford. Members of diasporas are potentially socially and psychologically disempowered by two sources: the majority society into which they are dispersed; and the traditional social structures and culture from which they emerged. This potential disempowerment highlights the important role of power in facilitating (or not) migrant integration into new societies, and the integration of values and norms that are increasingly considered universal. The diaspora experience and Internet discussion forums provide enabling normative structures and discourses for individuals to define and pursue their own interests and ideals. Following a review of the literatures on diaspora identity hybridity and power, the case of TibetBoard illustrates how information technology enables diaspora members to explore, negotiate, and validate their self-determined identity and political perspectives, moving beyond passive adoption of traditional perspectives rooted in the Tibetan community of the homeland and in exile.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British International Studies Association 2010

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References

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62 Unless otherwise specified, information on TibetBoard derives from my personal interview with the founder, Dorjee Nudup, 12 October 2003. Discussion threads were observed and analysed from May–July, 2003. Two hundred and forty-one threads were selected, with an average of approximately seven replies. I selected discussion threads based on the topic's relevance to the research questions, and randomly selected additional threads in order to partially counter bias selection and to sample the general climate of the digital diaspora. I analysed webpages and their interactive components along two dimensions: the nature of the benefit gained from the member's participation (purposive, material, solidary, and cultural identity) and the type of communication involved (conventional, interpersonal, communal, and announcements). These categories are not mutually exclusive. Quotes from the discussion forums and web pages include the original stylised language, as well as errors in punctuation and spelling.

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