Exit and Voice in Times of Crisis: Linking Migration and Protest

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

This roundtable (for Division Comparative Democratization or Migration and Citizenship) brings together an international group of junior, mid-career and senior scholars working on the linkages between migration and protest from the perspectives of comparative politics, political economy, sociology and international relations. Despite widespread references to “exit and voice”, the systematic links between migration and protest behavior have remained underexplored. This roundtable sets itself the goal to generate a forward-looking discussion on this theme as an emerging research agenda. It draws on the participants’ original survey data, social media analysis, qualitative data and mixed-methods research as well as on their diverse regional expertise (Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East). Conceptually, the discussion draws on social mobilization, resource mobilization, the role of economic, social and political remittances, comparative democratization and authoritarianism. Each panelist will combine conceptual, empirical and methodological reflections on the overarching theme. The comparability of trends within and across regions will also be addressed.
The relevance of the linkages between migration and protest have become apparent in recent political and economic crises across the globe. For example, populism characterizes politics in countries like Brazil and Poland, and conflict and violence further segment society in countries like Ukraine and Mexico. In response, both mass protest and out-migration have been on the rise in post-communist countries in Eastern Europe, post-authoritarian countries in Latin America and post-colonial countries in the Middle East and North Africa (CNTS 2016; IOM 2016). It is therefore essential to ask: When a state fails to respond to the economic or political needs of citizens, why do some people mobilize by protesting in the streets while others ‘mobilize’ by crossing borders? What are the key drivers and actors behind protest and migration, and how do the choices shaping protest and migration relate to each other?

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 44: Comparative Democratization

Chair

• Laurence Whitehead University of Oxford

Presenters

• Gwendolyn Sasse University of Oxford

• Vinicius G. Rodrigues Vieira University of São Paulo

• David Doyle University of Oxford

• Gerasimos Tsourapas University of Birmingham

• Olga Onuch University of Manchester