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MRG Webinars Borders and Bordering: 

Diaspora Diplomacy in the Making: The Case of Latvian Diaspora Professionals Working in International Organisations

Speaker: Professor Inta Mieriņa, University of Latvia

Abstract: In international relations and multilateral or global politics, country nationals living abroad increasingly emerge as vital, yet often overlooked actors in diplomacy. In contrast to previous research that has predominantly focused on organizations, this study highlights the critical role of individual actors in diaspora diplomacy. Specifically, it focuses on the role of "citizen diplomats"—individual professionals employed in international organizations—who actively engage in pursuing strategic objectives and fostering the development of their home countries. This talk addresses three fundamental questions within the emerging scholarly field of diaspora diplomacy: who the key actors in diaspora diplomacy are, how diplomatic work is conducted both by, for, and through diasporas, and what motivates diaspora engagement.  

A new theoretical framework is presented that highlights the complex roles played by diaspora professionals in international organizations. The findings underscore the decentralized nature of the diaspora involvement in diaspora diplomacy, suggesting that the predominant view of the state or diaspora as a single actor is too simplistic. All core functions of public diplomacy —communication, representation, listening, advocacy, and nation branding—are actively carried out at the individual level by “citizen diplomats”, however, the extent to which the states utilize this resource, depends on whether a coordinated strategy for diaspora engagement is in place. These findings illuminate the multifaceted role diaspora’s “citizen diplomats” in international organisations play as dynamic resources for enhancing state influence and visibility on the global stage. They contribute to the growing recognition of diaspora professionals as a significant resource in public diplomacy. 

Bio: Inta Mieriņa is the director of the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research and a tenure professor at the University of Latvia. She specializes in political sociology and has extensively studied issues related to migration and inter-ethnic relations. Her recent research focuses on the new the forms of migration, changes in attitudes towards migrants, integration policies and practices, reception of Ukrainian refugees, as well as increasing ethnic tensions in Latvia. She is also interested in values, social capital, and public good. In 2024 she was awarded the ERC Consolidator grant for her research: “Welcoming Immigrants in Central and Eastern Europe: Lessons from Russia's Invasion of Ukraine" (WICE)”

Her publications have appeared in the International Migration Review, European Security, Nationalities Papers, Social Science Research, The Sociological Review, European Societies, Europe-Asia Studies, and she is a co-editor of the Springer book on Latvian emigrant communities published in 2019.

Inta has held several scholarships, including the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship and the Small Felix Award of the European Academy of Sciences. She has been a visiting researcher at Yale University, Washington University, Aarhus University, Aleksanteri Institute at the Helsinki University, GESIS EUROLAB,  Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, and the University of Warsaw.