Transnational Political Participation of Immigrants ─ A Transatlantic Perspective

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.

Jean-Michel Lafleur is FNRS Research Fellow at the Center for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège.

Marco Martiniello is FNRS (National Fund for Scientific Research) Research Director, Director of the Center for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège and Professor at the University of Liège.

Towards a transatlantic dialogue in the study of immigrant political transnationalism Marco Martiniello and Jean-Michel Lafleur
Migrant political transnationalism and the practice of democracy: Dominican external voting rights and Salvadoran home town associations Jose Itzigsohn and Daniela Villacres
The reinvention of political community in a transnational setting: framing the Kabyle citizens’ movement Michael Collyer
Contradictions of diasporic institutionalization in Mexican politics: the 2006 migrant vote and other forms of inclusion and control Robert Courtney Smith
The waxing and waning of the political field in Burundi and its diaspora Simon Turner
Religion as a path to civic engagement Peggy Levitt
Representing voiceless migrants: Moroccan political transnationalism and Moroccan migrants’ organizations in France Antoine Dumont