In the Name of the Diaspora ꟷ Unpacking the Transnational Networks of the Tibetan Diaspora Online

The increased migration of people connected with new communication technologies has created a transnational space for new forms of political participation across borders. Therefore, the importance of researching diasporas has been recognized not only by academics but also by policy-makers. Diasporas engage transnationally by different means such as lobbying their respective host governments, working with homeland opposition or appealing to international organizations. Consequently, diasporas need to gain widespread legitimacy in order to represent a people or a cause. However, much of the research on diaspora politics ─ while acknowledging that diasporas are not homogeneous entities ─ fails to uncover internal dynamics of diaspora networks claims made in the name of diaspora. The aim of this paper therefore is to disaggregate the actorness of the diaspora drawing on a social network approach by examining the transnational networks of the Tibetan diaspora online. Even though the Tibetan diaspora is quite small in terms of numbers, it is considered far more institutionally organized compared with other diasporas and it has garnered significant attention from the international community by expanding the global network linked to the Tibetan freedom movement. Based on a network and web content analysis, I assert that diasporas use social media to build an online diasporic public sphere. The findings reveal how the Tibetan diaspora needs on the one hand to build internal legitimacy by garnering support within the diaspora community itself and, on the other hand, simultaneously pursue external legitimacy by garnering support from third parties. The Tibetan diaspora has therefore mobilized around various topics such as human rights and calls for the right to self-determination, but also identity and cultural preservation. The paper advances the understanding of transnational political linkages by demonstrating how diasporas are connected not only internally, but also with NGOs and other civil society organizations. It furthermore contributes to the discussion of how diasporas bridge tendencies toward cosmopolitanism and nationalism.