ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will cover the literature on motivations to send and receive. Given the growing awareness around issues of development, aid, and migration, there has been a lot of research on motivations to send. We will synthesize this work and also offer our own analysis. Scholars point out that the motivations to send and receive money revolve around awareness, ties to the groups involved or some form of affiliation. With the rise of mass media, digital technologies and means of communication, we suggest that there are norms of solidarity, community building, and network formation that goes beyond traditional notions of community. We argue that remittances can help us understand how global activism, solidarity, and community building are taking place around the world. A closer examination of these phenomena is crucial if we are to understand how the modern individual relates to others around him/her.
