18/11/2015: GTD Colloquium “The Global War on Terror and Immigrant Organizational Agency: The Case of Pakistani Diaspora Organizations in London, Toronto and New York City” by Ali R. Chaudhary
The Global War on Terror and Immigrant Organizational Agency: The Case of Pakistani Diaspora Organizations in London, Toronto and New York City
By Ali R. Chaudhary (University of Oxford)
Globalisation, Transnationalism & Development Colloquium organized in association with Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE)
Abstract: To what extent does the global regulatory environment associated with the U.S.-led War on Terror constrain the agency of Pakistani diaspora organizations facilitating immigrant incorporation and transnational engagement? Using the case of Pakistani diaspora organizations in London, Toronto and New York City, this lecture bridges the literatures on migrant organizations and organization studies by comparatively analyzing how the regulatory environment associated with the global “war on terror” affects the experiences, strategies and behaviors of Pakistani organizations in three different places of settlement: London, Toronto and NYC. Data come from 131 in-depth interviews and over 200 hours of participant observation. Findings reveal that Pakistani non-profits experience a similar global organizational stigma across these three different sociopolitical and organizational environments and that the high costs associated with stigma management ultimately constrain the abilities of Pakistani organizations to fulfill both their local and transnationally-oriented objectives and missions.