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1、 University Code Student ID Number 10246 12210130126 Online Political Activism: the case study of Bulgarian diaspora School / Department Major Student Name Guide / Adviser Date School of Journalism Global Media and Communications Yoanna Tsvetanova Zhou Baohua 2013-05-21 论文指导小组成员 阳歌 副教授 郭虹 副教授 洪兵 副教授
2、 目录 m s . i Abstract . . . 2 CHAPTER 1: Introduction. 1 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review . 4 Activism, Political Activism and Online Political Activism . 4 Diaspora and Online Political Activism . * . . . . 6 Previous Empirical Studies and Originality of the Study. .9 Conceptual Framework . 10 Research
3、Objectives . 12 CHAPTER 3: Research Design and Methodology . 13 Rationality of the Method used . 13 Sample Selection and Recruitment . 14 The Research Process . . . 16 Design of the research Tool . .* . 16 Method for Analysis . 17 CHAPTER 4: Results and Interpretation . . . 18 Personal Background an
4、d Political Interest . 18 The Life between Real and Virtual World: Mobilization vs. Reinforcement . . . 20 Life Between Home and Host Country . .29 Conclusion. 31 Bibliography . 34 Appendix 1: Interview Request Submitted . 44 Appendix 2: Interview Request . 46 Appendix 3: Characteristics of the Samp
5、le . . . . . 48 Appendix 4: Informed Consent Form . 49 Appendix 5: Interview Guide . 51 Acknowledgments . 53 摘要 本论文探讨了保加利亚侨民的在线政治激进主义话题。文章定义了移民在本 国和在东道国的政治活动。分析旨在确定互联网是否增加了移民社区内的政治活 动。本研究采用的方法是深度访谈。在 10 名生活在欧洲和北美的保加利亚中进 行了实证研究。对数据进行的主题分析表明互联网没能调动起以前在移民社群里 被动的成员，与此同时为活跃的成员提供了新的参与活动的机会。此外，数据表 明，网上政治活动
6、可能会逐渐取代传统的政治活动。研究发现了保加利亚移民社 群中的三种网上政治活动：觉悟、动员和行动。这项研究还提出了经验证据表明， 保加利亚移民社群的成员主要涉及在其原籍国的政治活动。研究发现与此现象有 关的三 个主要原因是：最终回报的神话，维持国家身份，在居住国家的有限接受 度。研究结论表明互联网通过使保加利亚移民社群里的活跃成员能够知情，分享 他们的意见，在网上请愿和建立政治团体的方式增加了他们的政治活动。本研究 选择的样本相对较小，因此，这项研究并没有对保如利亚移民社群中的政治活动 做出断言。 关键词：网络，移民社群，政治激进主义，动员，加强，在线的，原籍国，居住 国 中图分类号： G21
7、 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the topic of online political activism among Bulgarian diaspora members. The paper conceptualizes the political activities of migrants spanning both their homeland and their host country. The analysis seeks to determine whether the Internet enhances political activitie
8、s within diaspora communities. The method employed for this study is in-depth interviews. The empirical research was conducted among 10 Bulgarians living in Europe and North America. Thematic analysis of the data demonstrates that the Internet does not mobilize previously passive members of diaspora
9、 and at the same time provides new opportunities for active members to be involved. Furthermore, the data indicate that the traditional political activities are likely to be gradually replaced with online political activities. Three types of online political activities are identified among Bulgarian
10、 diaspora: awareness, mobilisation and action. The research also presents empirical evidence that Bulgarian diaspora members are mainly involved in political activities of their country of origin. Three main reasons are found to be associated with this phenomenon: the myth of eventual return; the su
11、staining of the national identity; the limited acceptance in the country of residence. The research has concluded that the Internet enhances political activities among the active members of diaspora by allowing them to be informed, to share their opinions and create online petitions and political gr
12、oups. The sample chosen for this study is a relatively small one, therefore, the study does not make any great claims on political activism among diaspora groups. Key Words: Internet, Diaspora, Political Activism, Mobilization, Reinforcement, Online, Home country, Host country Classification Code： G
13、21 1.Introduction Subject Background Today， “we live in a globalised world, one characterised by extreme economic inequality and mass migration,5 (Collins, 2012). There are more than 215 million people who live in a country other than the one they were bom in, a number that has tripled in the last 3
14、0 years (Tuck-Primdahl and Chand, 2012). As the number of the human flow increases, scholars start to acknowledge the importance of these dispersed communities on both home and host country political arena. Although political interests and activities among diaspora members are not a new phenomenon,
15、the development of the new technology, and more specifically the Internet, have significantly afFected the nature of their political participation. In the last couple of years there has been a transition from traditional forms of political activity, such as voting, to more unconventional activities
16、offline such as boycotts, petitions and demonstrations (Aukalniene, 2012). Nowadays, we are witnessing the beginning of another shift from offline to online political participation (ibid). The rapid growth of the Internet use and its communicational features have altered the way in which people cons
17、ume information and interact with each other. Continuous and rapid accessibility, a remarkable variety of information sources and a flexibility of platforms for the easy exchange of information characterize the modem online environment. As the scholar Pippa Norris (2002) acknowledged, political part
18、icipation is a process in which people are continuously developing and introducing innovative or unconventional forms of participation66. Traditional measures of civic participation, such as voter turnout rates, no longer adequately capture the extent to which people are politically involved (Veenho
19、f et al. 2008: 5). Therefore, to capture the political involvement of the Bulgarian diaspora and to provide evidence of the change of offline to online political participation, this paper will examine diaspora online activities. Rationality for Selecting the Subject The transformation of political p
20、articipation among diaspora members identifies new areas for research. In addition, this paper is also inspired by contemporary political issues in Bulgaria and increased Internet use among Bulgarians living abroad. General Overview; Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Diaspora Bulgaria, officially Republic
21、of Bulgaria, is one of the oldest countries on the European continent. It is geographically located in the southeastern part of Europe. The census conducted in 2011 estimated its population at 7,282,041 (National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, 2011), which makes it the 14th largest country on th
22、e old continent（ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division， 2011). After the fall of Communism in 1989, the number of the population decreased by almost 1.5 million. Undoubtedly, there are many reasons associated with this phenomenon. On the one hand, it was a result of the negat
23、ive balance of births and deaths (Gupta and Omoniyi, 2007). On the other hand, it was a consequence of the negative balance of emigration from and immigration to the country. Furthermore, following the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the subsequent opening of the borders urged many peopl
24、e to choose an alternative country to live and work in (ibid). Emigration has become a major concern for Bulgaria due to its negative impact on the population growth and the economic development. Statistics show that after 2002 every year approximately 90 thousand people left Bulgaria (Beleva, 2008)
25、. Current research estimated that Bulgarians living abroad are approximately two million, which means that one third of the Bulgarian population is living abroad (Smilov and Jileva, 2009). The largest Bulgarian communities are located in Canada, the USA, Turkey, Spain, Italy, the UK and Germany (ibi
26、d). The Bulgarian Diaspora Call for Attention Primary research conducted by the author of this study shows that the number of the diasporic websites, Facebook groups, blogs and associations has increased in recent years. According to the scholar Marta Marcheva (2011) there are 695 Facebook groups ma
27、intained by Bulgarian members. As a member of the Bulgarian diaspora I myself was strongly involved in the diasporic groups and communities, which gave me insightful information about topics and issues interesting for diaspora communities. Furthermore, my previous research on the Bulgarian diaspora
28、(Re)imagining Nationalism: the Role of the Internet in Sustaining National Identity among the Bulgarian Diaspora) provided me with an additional knowledge about the issues concerning Bulgarian diaspora members. One of the topics which emerged from my research was the active involvement of migrants i
29、n homeland politics. Thus, this paper is a natural continuation in the field of the Bulgarian diaspora. The Contemporary Political Situation in Bulgaria The year 2013 is an important year in the history of Bulgarian politics. At the beginning of this year civil demonstrations took place in Bulgaria.
30、 They were initiated by the increasing electricity bills but later turned into a mass protest against the government and the political system (Petkova, 2013). February 24 was one of the memorable dates of the protest when a massive demonstration was held in more than 30 cities around the country (24
31、chasa.bg, 2013). The Bulgarian diaspora living across the world also supported the demonstrations. Emigrants showed their support by organizing peaceful protests in front of the Bulgarian embassies in Europe and North America (ibid). The researcher contacted some of the leaders of the demonstrations
32、 abroad (they requested to remain anonymous), who informed her that most of the protests were organized via online social media. Another important political event was the parliamentary elections in early May which also triggered the importance of researching the subject of diaspora involvement in th
33、e political realm. 2.Literature Review Activist, Political Activism and Online Political Activism 6Activism, is a controversial and ubiquitous term which was defined and widely discussed in a variety of academic disciplines. One way of understanding the term activism is by referring to the meaning o
34、f the word activist. An activist is described as an active individual who works to change something in the present social situation” （ Martin ， 2007). Furthermore， activists aim to challenge the publics general understanding of certain ideology (Dempsey, 2002). Consequently, activism can be defined
35、as an individual or collective action whose purpose is to cause political or social change. To achieve their goals activists use two different approaches: violent and non-violent actions (Martin, 2007). The first type, violent activism, refers to any form of destructive action, such as beating, tort
36、ure, killing, and bombing. It is an interesting fact that researches suggest that the second method, non-violent activism, is exercised more often than violent activism (ibid). Nevertheless, non-violent actions never received the same amount of attention from the media and the public. One of the sch
37、olars known for his academic contribution to the theory of non-violent activism is Gene Sharp. The American scholar identified 198 different types of non-violent action. In his book, The Politics of Non-violent Action (Sharp, 1973), he recorded historical examples of each one of these types. Further
38、more, he divided non-violent actions into three main categories: symbolic actions, non-cooperation, and intervention and alternative institutions. Symbolic actions include writing letters, making speeches and distributing leaflets (ibid). Their aim is communication to opponents and supporters (Sharp
39、, 1973). The second type of non-violent action, non-cooperation, refers to actions such as protests, strikes, producers1 boycott, withdrawal of bank deposits and international trade embargo (ibid). In the final category are included non-violent occupation, hunger strikes， and setting up of alternati
40、ve economic and political institutions (ibid). With the development of the technologies many academics started to acknowledge the importance of rethinking the understanding of political activism and citizen engagement. The openness and participatory nature of the Internet have evolved new methods for participation and alternative forms