Organizer: Sulo: The Philippine Studies Initiative at NYU; New York Southeast Asia Network

Type/Location: Virtual

About the book:

Sociologist Sharon M. Quinsaat sheds new light on the formation of diasporic connections through transnational protests. When people migrate and settle in other countries, do they automatically form a diaspora? In Insurgent Communities, Sharon M. Quinsaat explains the dynamic process through which a diaspora is strategically constructed. Quinsaat looks to Filipinos in the United States and the Netherlands—examining their resistance against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, their mobilization for migrants’ rights, and the construction of a collective memory of the Marcos regime—to argue that diasporas emerge through political activism. Social movements provide an essential space for addressing migrants’ diverse experiences and relationships with their homeland and its history. A significant contribution to the interdisciplinary field of migration and social movements studies, Insurgent Communities illuminates how people develop collective identities in times of social upheaval.

About the author:

Sharon M. Quinsaat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Grinnell College, with affiliations in American Studies, Education Studies, Film and Media Studies, Global Development Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies, where she was Chair in 2023-2024. Sharon studies social movements, immigrant and diaspora politics, race and ethnicity, and media discourse from a global and transnational perspective. Methodologically, she is interested in interpretive qualitative design to understand people’s meaning-making processes.

About the moderator:

John Gershman is a Clinical Professor of Public Service, Director of the International Specialization, and Director of International Capstone Programs at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He is also a Co-Founder of the New York Southeast Asia Network (NYSEAN) and a former Co-Chair of Sulo: The Philippine Studies Initiative at NYU.

Registration link:

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