Sovereign Power, Biopower, and the Reach of the West in an Age of Diaspora‐Centred Development

Why at this particular historical moment has there emerged a rousing interest in the potential contribution of diasporas to the development of migrant sending states and why is this diaspora turn so pervasive throughout the global South? The central premise of this paper is that the rapid ascent of diaspora‐centred development cannot be understood apart from historical developments in the West's approach to governing international spaces. Once predicated upon sovereign power, rule over distant others is increasingly coming to depend upon biopolitical projects which conspire to discipline and normalize the conduct of others at a distance so as to create self‐reliant and resilient market actors. We argue that an age of diaspora‐centred development has emerged as a consequence of this shift and is partly constitutive of it. We develop our argument with reference to Giorgio Agamben's “Homo Sacer” project and in particular the theological genealogy of Western political constructs he presents in his book The Kingdom and the Glory (2011). We provide for illustration profiles of three projects which have played a significant role in birthing and conditioning the current diaspora option: the World Bank's Knowledge for Development Programme (K4D); the US‐based International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA); and the EU/UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative Migration4Development project (JMDI‐M4D). Drawing upon economic theology, we make a case for construing these projects as elements of the West's emerging Oikonomia after the age of empire. 摘要 以“散居为本”的发展时代已迅速崛起. 在这个特殊的历史时刻,移民的祖国逐渐认可了他们对于祖国发展做出的贡献。想要理解这个现象,实属与“西方管理国际空间的历史发展”有着密不可分的关系。当今对散居的统治已经有所转变,并取决于生命政治项目。借助生命政治项目的训导和锻炼,散居的行为将逐渐‘正常化’,从而塑造他们成为自力更生和有弹性的市场参与者。本文论述:以上的转变构成了以“散居为本”的发展时代,并成为这种转变的结果。 本文首先提及吉奥乔·阿甘本《牲人》系列,并以系列中《国王与荣耀》的“政治神学论”为论述基础。其次,通过参见以下三个项目:1. 世界银行:知识为发展计划(World Bank Knowledge for Development Programme [K4D])、2.美国:国际散居参与联盟(International Diaspora Engagement Alliance [IdEA])、3.联合国开发计划署:为发展而迁移计划(EU/UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative Migration4Development project [JMDI‐M4D]) ,本文将说明生命政治这个概念并且阐释它对于“散居为本” 的影响力。最后借鉴“经济神学”,本文解读: 在西方帝国时代后,以上提及生命政治项目潜在成为延续西方新兴圣权的元素。