There has been much celebration of the success of African 'civil society' in forging global connections through an ever-growing diaspora. Against the background of such celebrations, this book focuses on the diasporic networks - 'home associations' - whose economic contributions are being used to develop home.

This innovative book examines the relationship between African "civil society" and "home association" networks in the diaspora. Remittances home via these networks outweigh official development assistance. Looking in particular at Cameroon and Tanzania, the authors argue that building "civil society" in Africa must be understood in tandem with the political economy of migration and wider debates concerning ethnicity and belonging. They demonstrate both that diasporic development is distinct from mainstream development, and that it is an uneven historical process in which some '"homes" are better placed to take advantage of global connections than others. In doing so, the book engages critically with the current enthusiasm among policy-makers for treating the African diaspora as an untapped resource for combating poverty.

Showing the entanglement of national and local politics and elites with a sense of obligation and loyalty to place, this original book reveals the limits and potentialities of 'home' associations in the modern development project. A must for overseas developers the book illuminates an important field of enduring interest