Chapter 6 examined digital diasporas' political engagement, regardless of whether it becomes mobilized in the physical world. This chapter more explicitly analyzes identity mobilization, in this case, for contributing to socioeconomic development in the homeland. I investigate several examples, beginning with a CGO, Rebuild-Afghanistan. Moving beyond cyberspace, I then describe three physical world organizations whose mission it is, at least in part, to serve the homeland. These are two diaspora philanthropy organizations with different degrees of professionalism – Afghans4Tomorrow and Coptic Orphans, and one transnational business, Thamel.com, which was introduced in Chapter 3. I first review how identity is mobilized for purposive goals.

HOW IS IDENTITY MOBILIZED?

Three types of factors inform diasporas' mobilization to influence the homeland, those related to: their ability, the enabling environment, and their motivation (see Esman 1986). IT can contribute to each of these.

Ability to Mobilize

The most commonly identified factor necessary for effective mobilization is the creation of a sense of solidarity and community identity: “When colleagues see the world together, they are likely to share the same understanding of the world. This makes collective action possible” (Navarro 2003, 138). A dense network of relationships, or bonding social capital, can engender trust (Coleman 1988, 1990) and generate the shared identity required for collective action (Ostrom 1990). Furthermore, with more intense interaction, participation in collective action is more likely (Dutton and Lin 2001).

Community identity enables the harnessing of diverse resources and capacities. These include material resources, skills, and organizational resources.