Unpacking the State from the Inside Out: Emerging Spaces and Actors of Diaspora Governance in the Border Province of Edirne

This chapter unpacks the notion of diasporic state from a multi-scalar approach with a focus on diasporic engagements in the Turkish border province of Edirne. Based on a historically informed ethnographic fieldwork on the Greek-Turkish borderland in Thrace, the chapter portrays the encounters between Thrace-based state institutions and the kin population of the Balkans, a key target group of Turkey’s diaspora policy. Seeking to grasp the power and reach of the diasporic state and challenging the assumption of a monolithic state, the chapter examines the roles in diaspora governance of both conventional diaspora policy actors, such as consulates, and non-conventional actors, namely universities. Beyond the Turkish case, the chapter suggests that turning our analytical gaze to diasporic sites and actors at home is necessary to fully account for the emerging modes and means of diaspora governance and how they operate on the ground.