Space, Place, and Identity in the Digital Age

W14: Transnational Communication

1. Georgiou argues that “diasporic continuity is as much about the imagining of a common origin and a common fate as it is about the transnationalization of possible common imaginings, which are particular and specific to a group but also global in their relevance” (216). I wonder what would lead to discontinuity, beyond issues related to national citizenship?
2. Georgiou briefly discusses the Al Jazeera effect, wherein “Western states suddenly noticed a player in transnational communication which could not be controlled by the established policy and corporate players dominating the (inter-)national systems of politics and communication” (217). I wonder who the opening of “crossover” versions, in this case Al Jazeera English, changes the dynamics of media consumption.
3. Bailey suggests in their piece that diasporic media online primarily exist to reinforce existing dominant narratives and conservative political interests (i.e. achieving middle class success). These interests often align, furthermore, with the goals of the larger nation-state. However, I wonder how a diasporic space would be understood if it were more politically radical than the national culture that surrounds it?