The Transnational Political Participation Of Immigrants

With the progress in communication and transport technologies, it has never been easier for migrants to stay connected with their country of origin. Facing the wide range of activities in which immigrants are involved, governments in the country of origin and the country of destination have endeavoured to respond to these activities. Up until now, the question of the nature of political engagement across borders that migrants may pursue has yet to be studied in a broad sense. The purpose of this book is to establish to what extent the place in which immigrants settle (namely the region or country) might determine the types of political activity in which they engage. More precisely, it ascertains whether and for what reasons different forms of transnational political activity develop in the United States and Europe. Looking at a series of case studies from Europe and the USA, it identifies the full range of political activities and various similarities in the actions undertaken by communities based in the same area. With contributions from international experts, this insightful book will be of interest to postgraduates in the field of international politics, migration researchers, political scientists and policymakers. This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

This book makes a timely contribution to debates surrounding transnational political participation, the relationship between diasporas and conflict, and the gendered experiences of migrants. It fills a significant lacuna in research by analysing how migrants relate to and become involved in the politics of their home and host countries, and how transnational political fields emerge and function. The author achieves this by focusing on the little known but instructive case of Colombian migration to Europe, and the connections between these flows and the armed conflict and efforts for peace in Colombia. Shedding light on different types of migration and the rising complexity of international population movements, this innovative work will appeal to students and scholars of migration and diaspora studies, gender, political participation, conflict and peace studies and Latin American studies. It will also interest policy makers and community development workers engaged in these areas.

Immigration is continuously and rapidly changing the face of Western countries. While newcomers are harbingers of change, host nations also participate in how new populations are incorporated into their social and political fabric. Bringing together a transcontinental group of anthropologists, this book provides an in-depth look at the current processes of immigration, political behavior, and citizenship in both the United States and Europe. Essays draw on issues of race, national identity, religion, and more, while addressing questions, including: How should citizenship be defined? In what ways do immigrants use the political process to achieve group aims? And, how do adults and youth learn to become active participants in the public sphere? Among numerous case studies, examples include instances of racialized citizenship in “Algerian France,” Ireland’s new citizenship laws in response to asylum-seeking mothers, the role of Evangelical Christianity in creating a space for the construction of an identity that transcends state borders, and the Internet as one of the new public spheres for the expression of citizenship, be it local, national, or global.

More than ever, diasporas have a direct impact on the politics of their homelands. Today's diasporic activists-empowered by new media and the ease of travel afforded by globalization-engage directly to shape elections and conflicts in distant settings: politics from afar. Drawing on a global range of cases, this groundbreaking volume explores the impact of transnational diaspora politics on development, democratization, conflict, and the changing nature of citizenship. The contributors to this collection, representing a variety of disciplinary perspectives and area studies expertise, reveal the diasporic politics shaping the governance of development in Mexico, conflict in Sri Lanka, and elections in Ethiopia among other timely cases. While some predicted that globalization would usher in a new era of cosmopolitanism, Politics from Afar demonstrates that ethno-nationalism and patron-client relationships are alive and thriving in transnational spaces. Cognizant of the political capital residing in diasporas, homeland governments, opposition political parties, and insurgent groups seek to tap theirA" co-nationals abroad to advance development strategies and broader geopolitical agendas. Politics from Afar maps an ambitious theoretical and empirical agenda for the analysis of contemporary diaspora politics.

Mass migrations, diasporas, dual citizenship arrangements, neoliberal economic reforms and global social justice movements have in recent decades produced shifting boundaries and meanings of citizenship within and beyond the Americas. In migrant-receiving countries, this has raised questions about extending rights to newcomers. In migrant-sending countries, it has prompted states to search for new ways to include their emigrant citizens into the nation state. This book situates new practices of ‘immigrant’ and ‘emigrant’ citizenship, and the policies that both facilitate and delimit them, in a broader political–economic context. It shows how the ability of people to act as transnational citizens is mediated by inequalities along the axes of gender, race, nationality and class, both in and between source and destination countries, resulting in a plethora of possible relations between states and migrants. The volume provides cross-disciplinary and theoretically engaging discussions, as well as empirically diverse case studies from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that have been transformed into ‘emigrant states’ in recent years, offering new concepts and theory for the study of transnational citizenship. This book was originally published as a special issue of Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power.

"Despite widespread scepticism in receiving societies, migrants often remain loyal to their former homeland and stay active in the politics there. "Beyond Dutch borders" is about such ties. Combining extensive fieldwork with quantitative data, this book compares how transnational political involvement among guest workers from Turkey and post-colonial migrants from Surinam living in the Netherlands has evolved over the past half-century. It looks at Turks seeking to improve their position in Dutch society, Kurds lobbying for equal rights in Turkey and Surinamese hoping to boost development in their country of origin. Sending-state governments, political parties and organisations are shown to be key shapers of transnational migrant politics both in opposition to, and support of, homeland ruling elites. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that migrants' border-crossing loyalties and engagement have not dented their political integration in the receiving societies - quite the opposite. Certainly in this respect, the sceptics have been wrong."

Michael Peter Smith and Matt Bakker spent five years carrying out ethnographic field research in multiple communities in the Mexican states of Zacatecas and Guanajuato and various cities in California, particularly metropolitan Los Angeles. Combining the information they gathered there with political-economic and institutional analysis, the five extended case studies in Citizenship across Borders offer a new way of looking at the emergent dynamics of transnational community development and electoral politics on both sides of the border. Smith and Bakker highlight the continuing significance of territorial identifications and state policies—particularly those of the sending state—in cultivating and sustaining transnational connections and practices. In so doing, they contextualize and make sense of the complex interplay of identity and loyalty in the lives of transnational migrant activists. In contrast to high-profile warnings of the dangers to national cultures and political institutions brought about by long-distance nationalism and dual citizenship, Citizenship across Borders demonstrates that, far from undermining loyalty and diminishing engagement in U.S. political life, the practice of dual citizenship by Mexican migrants actually provides a sense of empowerment that fosters migrants' active civic engagement in American as well as Mexican politics.

How can European societies more effectively promote the active engagement of immigrants and their children in the political and civic life of the countries where they live? This book examines the effect of migrants' individual attributes and resources, their social capital and the political opportunities on their political integration.