ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how diaspora has been applied to development practice since the 1990s. It also provides a more critical analysis of four conceptual terrains where diaspora and development have been brought together: modernization, time/space, belonging/identity and securitization/financialization. The chapter also describes the institutions and activities of the international development industry in relation to the ambition to enrol diasporas in development. It shows how a series of governmental and non-governmental actors have identified specific goals and roles in a process of steering diasporas towards contributing to international development. The chapter also argues that in a matter of a few decades the idea of diasporas being part of the development process has moved from the periphery to the mainstream, largely driven by an interest in remittances. It suggests that a focus on diaspora brings broad claims about the securitization and financialization of development into sharp empirical focus.
