Isabelle Wilhelm
PhD in Social Sciences – specialization in Anthropology;
Scientific collaborator at the Laboratory of Anthropology of Contemporary Worlds (LAMC, Université libre de Bruxelles) and at the Dynamiques Européennes laboratory (DynamE, University of Strasbourg); Member of the interdisciplinary research center East Asian Studies (EASt) – ULB since 2016;
Fellow at the Institut Convergences Migrations (2020–2023), Paris.
Thesis title: Returning Home. An Anthropology of Gift-Giving Applied to the Development Activities of Lao People in France.
Thesis summary: Since the mid-1990s, Lao people in France (exiled following the political events of 1975) have been implementing “humanitarian” projects in their country of origin. Organized into associations, they build school facilities and distribute clothing, medical equipment, and computers in Lao villages.
These transnational philanthropic activities can be understood as forms of transfer. This thesis therefore proposes to analyze the characteristics of these transfers through the lens of gift theory. This theoretical framework makes it possible to examine the intentions of the actors and their perceptions of what is given, received, and reciprocated within the context of their “transnational gift.” The analysis of reciprocity dynamics and expressions of recognition highlights the effects of this aid on the relationships between donors and recipients.
Based on this case study, the thesis aims to contribute to the anthropology of migration by opening new perspectives on how migrants attempt to create and/or maintain relationships with their country of origin over the long term.
