Journal Name:
- European Journal of Economic and Political Studies
| Author Name | University of Author |
|---|---|
Abstract (2. Language):
The term “transnationalism” was originally connected to immigration cohorts,
but today the concept has been expanded to include a whole array of activities across
borders. The term ‘transnationalism’ broadly refers to multiple ties and interactions
linking people or institutions across the borders of modern nation-states. Different ties
and relationships are intertwined in the globalized world that is getting smaller thanks
to technological advances. Transnationalism involves “several layers ranging from the
construction of transnational social spaces to the formation of transnational
communities” (Roudometof 2005: 113). Transnational migrants pave the way for the
deterritorialization of cultures and people, who cut across the boundaries of the nationstate
(Bhabha, 1992; Brah, 1996; Gilroy, 1993; Hall and duGay, 1996). Transnational
interactions, mobilizations, activities, campaigns, power relations and so on influence
the policies of international actors, the nation-state being the prime one.
Whilst the continuing relevance of nation-states and interstate institutions cannot
be denied and the nation-states remain the most powerful actors in the international
system, as Sydney Tarrow (2005) demonstrates a widespread increase in transnational
activism in the forms of such as global awareness; novel forms of communication and
organization; and multi-issue campaigns is equally undeniable.
There have been several studies shedding light on different aspects of
transnationalism such as advocacy networks (Keck and Sikkink 1998); religion (Roy
2004); terrorism (Pape 2005); and transnational immigrant communities’ within the advanced industrial liberal democracies (Faist 1998, 2000a, b; Glick-Schiller 1997;
Gold 2000; Levitt 2001a, b; Portes 1996, 1998, 2001) but the area is a fertile ground
awaiting for many more studies. The word “Islam” is one of the a few words that come
to mind when we speak about transnationalism. For instance, the concept of ummah be
it understood as a base for political entity by transnational groups such as Hizb ut-
Tahrir (Yilmaz 2009) or as a socio-cultural entity by transnational humanitarian activists
such as Turkey’s Fethullah Gülen (Yilmaz 2003: 235) is very crucial in this regard.
Moreover, there are many transnational Muslim religious groups operating globally
such as Tabligh-i Jamaat. The existence of Muslim minority communities in the West is
also another fact that makes transnationalism and Islam an attractive match for
academics. Academics have been researching on loyalties to the nation-state among
diasporic populations; studying the issues of globalization, cosmopolitanism, global
citizenship and divided loyalties (Held, 1995, 2002; Nussbaum and Cohen, 2002;
Singer, 2002; Soysal, 1994) and the existence of Muslim minority communities in the
West offers scholars new avenues for research. It can for instance be analyzed if and to
what extent Inglehart’s (1997: 235) argument that the nation-state system is facing a
weakening sense of attachment is true as far as Muslim diasporas are concerned. It can
be studied if Muslim transnational communities form diasporic, subnational and ethnic
identities that cannot be easily contained within the nation-state (Cohen, 1997: 192–6)
or if they are likely to develop multiple attachments to local and global allegiances
(Appadurai 1996; Cohen 1996; Featherstone 2002; Clark 2009). Muslim transnational
activism is another area of study. As Tarrow (2005) argues it can not only influence and
change the nation-states incrementally and haltingly but also alter the strategies,
claims, and identities of domestic movements. “Religion is a “lived” experience and
one deeply embedded in people’s lives. Changes in society, and changes in personal
circumstances, produce changes in the substance and function of religious ideas,
identities, and meanings. A transnational world is introducing those changes at what
often seems to be a dizzying pace” (Williams 2009: 133). Thus, studying continuities,
discontinuities and transformations in religious identities and practices of Muslim
individuals in a context of transnationalism and globalization is also a fertile ground.
We hope that you will find in this special issue valuable contributions elaborating on
some of these crucial themes.
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