The Infocon Mousebook: Transnational Communities and Conflicts | Challenges and How to Address Them

The idea of this “Mousebook” — a handbook mainly disseminated on-line — grew out of the Infocon project, which, over the course of three years (2008–2011), brought together researchers and civil society organizations representing transnational communities settled in four European cities (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels and London). While research on diasporas and transnational communities has been relatively extensive (focusing, for instance, on the relations between diasporas and their countries of origin or on the nexus between migration and development), little is known about the civil society organizations that grow out of these communities, and how these organizations in turn shape, structure and represent the communities.

This Mousebook aims to describe and analyze some of these challenges to their peace building and development activities and to present the ways in which the civil society organizations involved in the Infocon project have been trying to deal with them. It does not aim at being comprehensive or at prescribing one-size-fits-all formulas, since all authors recognize the specificity and singularity of their own experience. It is, however, hoped that discussing specific examples and highlighting solutions that were found will foster a better understanding of the work of transnational community organizations and help others to imagine and set their own path through the various traps and quagmires — as well as opportunities — that lie ahead of them.