Diasporas’ Multiple Roles in Peace and Conflict: A Review of Current Debates

Diasporas can play multiple roles in both the host country and the homeland, and their activities can varyingly contribute towards peace-building processes or perpetuate conflict back home. In this article, we wish to reflect upon the current discussions in this field, while considering the heterogeneity between and within diaspora communities as well as the generational dynamics of diaspora activism. We discuss intra-diaspora group relations as potential avenues of conflict and peace-building that transcend nation-states’ borders. Moreover, we consider how the dynamics of peace-building and conflict perpetuation can transform over time with subsequent generations. We also discuss the role the second generation can play in relation to peace and conflict.