Thomas Lacroix
International Migration Institute
University of Oxford
The geopolitics of collective remittances
Development projects of Hometown organisations, also called collective remittances are
common illustration of the outcomes of transnational linkages forged and sustained by
migrants with their origin country. Individual remittances are a universal phenomenon. It is
far from being the case for collective remittances. This paper is part of a study which aims to
identify the characteristics of the groups involved in collective practices of development. A
review of the literature shows that such groups display distinctive geopolitical features. The
areas from which these groups are originated maintain sometimes tense or even
confrontational relationships with the central state. The groups are either ethnic or religious
minorities or live in peripheral regions remote from the central powers.
Through a systematic comparison between three groups: the Indian Punjabis settled in the UK
and two Berber groups based in France, the Algerian Kabyles and the Moroccan Chleuhs, this
paper analysis the impact of the geopolitical context on collective remittances. It will show
how migration served as a form of resistance to the homogenising nation-building process and
how the adoption of liberal governance under the aegis of structural adjustment plans led to
new yearnings for development in origin areas.