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Cosmonation: The Rise of the Multisite Nation

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The Multisite Nation

Abstract

This chapter frames the theoretical underpinnings of the project in an attempt to explain the factors that gave rise to the cosmonation, focusing on and privileging the homeland–diaspora and diaspora–diaspora angle. It proposes a different way of positioning the analysis in order to avoid falling into the trap of “methodological nationalism” (Wimmer and Schiller, International Migration Review 37(3):576–610, 2003; Amelina, Anna, Devrimsel D. Negriz, Thomas Faist, and Nina Glick Schiller, eds., Beyond methodological nationalism: Research methodologies for cross-border studies, New York: Routledge, 2012) and explains the importance of analyzing cosmonational structure in light of the different insights it provides. The evolution in the diaspora condition is discussed as a contributing factor in transforming the cosmonation into a tangible reality. Review of the debate in the literature that dissects different conceptions of the object of study is followed by an elaboration of how the cosmonational approach differs from previous explanations. The chapter further explains the mechanisms of the shift from nation to cosmonation, the genealogy of the formation of the cosmonation, what is at stake in cosmonation building, and the role of information technology in an effort to circumscribe the parameters of cosmonation identity. The chapter ends by discussing the development of a cosmonational approach that provides a theoretical framework to help explain the deployment of the multisite nation as a sui generis phenomenon.

After establishing a framework for studying the cosmonational tapestry, each chapter that follows analyzes the deployment of a different segment of the composition, illustrating how each component is entangled or embedded in the others. Thus the usefulness and accuracy of the proposition that the multisite nation displays unique parameters, reflective of its distinct rationale and logic of deployment, is reinforced.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Michel S. Laguerre

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© 2016 Michel S. Laguerre

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Laguerre, M.S. (2016). Cosmonation: The Rise of the Multisite Nation. In: The Multisite Nation. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56724-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56724-6_2

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