New Dynamics of Immigrants’ Political Engagement

Immigrants’ engagement in host country politics is a dynamic and multidimensional phenomenon that has noticeably intensified and diversified over time as a combined effect of increasing demands of participation from migrant groups and changing states policies that opened new formal venues for minority empowerment. So far, much of the scholarship has focused on conventional forms of migrant participation often linked to the electoral arena, especially voting, standing as candidates in elections, or joining political parties. Recently, scholars have also highlighted the relevance of non-electoral/extra-parliamentary modes of migrant participation, including protests, demonstrations, petitions, social media mobilisation, etc. This panel seeks to explore new dynamics of immigrants’ political engagement in receiving countries by paying particular attention to the intersection between electoral and non-electoral modes of political mobilisation and the diversification of channels for participation.