"Diasporic geopolitics and differentiated policies of transnational repression" - by CWP alum Enze Han
This article examines transnational repression as an aspect of diasporic geopolitics, i.e. the state use of populations abroad to strategically exercise power and influence vis-à-vis other states. Building on existing literature, we examine how states have crafted differentiated diaspora engagement strategies in which some segments of the diaspora are elevated, some are ignored, and others are repressed. The mechanisms by which they do so can range from direct (e.g. government targeting, harassment, surveillance and coercion); to indirect (e.g. exploiting tensions within the diaspora, spreading propaganda, fostering mistrust, or inciting violence between groups); to mediated (e.g. engaging third parties via interstate cooperation, intelligence sharing and policing). By unpacking different mechanisms and actors involved with transnational repression, we show the extent to which states rely on the mobilization of social forces and internationalsystemic structures in their use of targeted coercion against populations in the context of pursuing geopolitical influence.
To cite this article: Fiona B. Adamson & Enze Han (27 Feb 2026): Diasporic geopolitics and differentiated policies of transnational repression, Ethnic and Racial Studies, DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2026.2624626 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2026.2624626
Professor Enze Han is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration. His research interests include international relations of East Asia, China’s relations with Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian politics, and ethnic politics in China. Professor Han received a Ph.D in Political Science from the George Washington University in the United States in 2010. Afterwards he was a postdoctoral research fellow in the China and the World Program at Princeton University. During 2015-2016, he was a Friends Founders’ Circle Member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA. In 2017, he was a fellow at the East Asia Institute in Seoul, South Korea. During 2021-2022, he was Lee Kong Chian Fellow on Contemporary Southeast Asia at the National University of Singapore and Stanford University. His research has been supported by the Leverhulme Research Fellowship and British Council/Newton Fund. Prior to HKU, Professor Han was Senior Lecturer in the International Security of East Asia at SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom.
Photo Credit: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01419870.2026.2624626
