Transnationalism

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The concept of transnationalism is focused on the heightened interconnectivity between people all around the world and the loosening of boundaries between countries. The nature of transnationalism has social, political and economic impacts that affect people all around the globe.

The concept of transnationalism has facilitated the flow of people, ideas and goods between regions. It has been greatly affected by the internet, telecommunications, immigration and most importantly globalization. Concepts like citizenship, nationalism and communitarianism are being changed and reexamined with this phenomenon of the modern age.

Transnationalism is often linked to internationalism but differs in the sense that internationalism proper refers to global co-operation between nation states, while transnationalism aims to global co-operation between peoples, and the obliteration of nation states.

Transnationalism is closely related to cosmopolitanism. If transnationalism describes the individual experience, cosmopolitanism is the philosophy behind it. Transnational life styles could be precursor to a cosmopolitan world government.

Diasporas are a historical precursor to modern transnationalism. However, unlike people with transnationalist lives, most diasporas have not been voluntary.

In addition to that transnationalism also designates a recent shift in migration patterns. Whereas migration used to be a rather directed movement with a point of departure and a point of arrival, it is nowadays increasingly turning into an ongoing channelling between two or more social spaces. Facilitated by increased global transportation and telecommunication technologies more and more migrants have developed strong transnational ties to their home countries, blurring the congruence of social space and geographic space.

Literature:

Pries, Ludger (1999), Migration and Transnational Social Spaces. Aldershot: Ashgate.