Diasporic identity and orientation to co-development: a survey on foreign students attending the University of Pisa

Abstract

"Strength of ties and amplitude/ frequency of contacts with other natives (living at home and/or abroad), are generally considered the main proxy indicators of a transnational structuration of migrant groups and the principal evidences of a Diaspora. Despite of this evidence, there are (at least) other three cultural and sociological conditions that make this outcomes possible or not: (i) belonging of the migrant group members to a wider transnational network, (ii) sharing a common sense of community with its members, (iii) participating with a common project that involve all the community. The paper discusses the main outputs of an on-line survey between young foreigners attending the University of Pisa, with the aim to investigate how 'sense of community' (McMillan and Chavis, 1986), 'social capital' (Van der Gaag-Snijders, 2004) and co-development orientation between members of the same ethnic groups (living in Italy or abroad), could help researcher to identify, conceptualize and measure everyday and informal transnational relationship becoming to a new definition of the concept of Diaspora (Cohen, 1997; Cohen, Vertovec, 1999)." (author's abstract)