Location and Discrimination: Politics of Second-generation Migrants in Europe

• In Event: Poster Session: International Security III & Migration and Citizenship
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Migration and Citizenship

Abstract

Second-generation immigrant citizens in European societies have different means of political participation. However, some decide to vote while others seek unconventional means of participation like protesting. Why do some second-generation immigrants participate less in conventional politics than others? Why do some second-generation immigrants participate more in unconventional politics than others? I argue that discrimination conditional on geographical location influences this decision for second-generation immigrants heterogeneously. First, immigrant groups that faced institutional and legal discrimination in the past are more likely to participate in unconventional politics like rallying and protesting than other second-generation immigrants. Second, immigrant groups that face ethnic discrimination from autochthonous citizens are also more likely to participate in unconventional politics. However, both effects are contingent on geographical locations. Discrimination has stronger effect for second-generation migrants living in areas with many co-ethnics, since the awareness of group exclusion and immigrant-group identity is more vivid and salient in these areas. I test these hypotheses combining different surveys within Western Europe and an in-depth case study of Germany using sub-district panel data from the German SOEP between 2012-2016. This project expands our understanding of the influence of discrimination on political participation based on geographical location.

Author

• Julius Lagodny