Contributing to development? : transnational activities among members of the Tamil diaspora in Norway

Abstract

The theme of this dissertation are the transnational activities of members of the Tamil diaspora in Norway and the significance of these for development in the North East of Sri Lanka. The increase in global links, particularly through information technology and means of travel, have contributed to the increase of transnational activities among diaspora populations, and have affected the ways in which members of diaspora populations relate to home and recreate home in exile, as part of their transnational activities. This dissertation argues that diaspora populations have a great potential for contributing towards the development of ‘home’. In the case of a diaspora population from a war-torn ‘home’, where more than 60 000 people have been killed in the 20 year long conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Liberation Tigers (LTTE), these contributions are particularly interesting and, as will be argued, significant. It is found that members of the Tamil diaspora in Norway participate in a range of cultural, social, economic and political transnational activities, and that their desires and capabilities for participation in such activities are high. However, the heterogeneity within the Tamil diaspora in Norway should be noted, when considering these findings.