MIGRANTS’ AND DIASPORA RESPONSES TO THE RISE OF RIGHT-WING POPULISM

The European Research Council Starting Grant Project “Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty” is Organizing an Academic Workshop: MIGRANTS’ AND DIASPORA RESPONSES TO THE RISE OF RIGHT-WING POPULISM

Organized by Dr. Ben Margulies, Post-doctoral Research Fellow and Dr. Maria Koinova, Reader in International Relations and PI for the ERC Starting Grant Project “Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty” on 26 September, 2017 at Warwick University in London

Radical right populism, anti-immigration sentiments, and post-truth politics have recently gained momentum at an unprecedented pace in liberal democracies. Populist and radical right parties have been among the most studied in Europe during the past decade. Much of this research has focused on: 1) who votes for populist and radical right parties? 2) what discourses and policy positions do such parties adopt? and 3) what is their impact upon positions taken by rival parties and national governments? In 2016-2017, studies started to incorporate further political dynamics related to Brexit in the UK, and the political win of Trump in the United States. However, very little is known about how migrants and diasporas respond to the challenges posed by right-wing populism, anti-immigration mobilizations and what Mudde (2007) calls “nativism.”

This workshop seeks to address questions related to mobilization among migrants and refugee-based diasporas. Are certain migrant and diaspora groups experiencing more vulnerability than others? How do they mobilize – or do not mobilize – to respond, counter or pre-empt radical right populist parties and movements and their public messages? How do migrants and diasporas find domestic and international allies, including political parties, civil society, other migrants’ institutions, and international organizations? Has the rise of radical-right populism encouraged or discouraged voter turnout among diaspora populations? Has it made other modes of activism more attractive or pressing (eg. petitioning, protesting)? Do radical-right parties themselves appeal to certain migrant and diaspora groups to form coalitions against other groups? How do national and local contexts shape migrant and diaspora engagement with radical-right populist opponents?

This one-day workshop seeks to address such questions. The workshop will take place on 26 September, 2017 in the Warwick University offices in London. If you are interested to participate, please send a paper abstract of max. 300 words by 25 May, 2017 to Dr. Ben Margulies (b.margulies@warwick.ac.uk) and Dr. Maria Koinova (m.koinova@warwick.ac.uk).

The abstract needs to address: the research question, central hypothesis/argument, theoretical framework in which the research is embedded, methodology and empirical cases. The “Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty” Project is open to different theoretical approaches and methodologies, including the use of multi-methods research. The organizers will decide over the selected abstracts by 31 May, 2017. Limited financial support will be available. Selected papers will be invited for a special edited issue in an ISI-ranked journal.