Migrant Political Organisation – Between Migratory Experience and Political Ideology

Migrant associations in civil society are often organized along ethnic or linguistic lines. This form of migrant organization has been analyzed extensively, with studies ranging from migrants’ reasons for joining these groups, to the role ethnic migrant organization has for migrants’ political engagement. So far, however, little is known about migrant organization along political party lines. Do these organizations appeal to the migrants’ shared migratory experience or is political ideology the main driver of mobilization? Furthermore, since these associations exist on both ends of the left-right spectrum, we want to understand how migrant organizations affiliated with anti-immigration parties frame their discourse to appeal to migrants. This article studies the case of Switzerland, a Western European country with strict immigration and naturalization laws deriving from a conservative understanding of jus sanguinis, where migrants’ possibilities to participate in politics is rather limited. We gather data from the websites of migrant organizations affiliated to the two major Swiss parties at either pole of the left-right divide, the Social Democratic party and the conservative (and anti-immigration) Swiss People’s party. Our content analysis shows some similarities and important differences in the discourse on both platforms. Indeed, both organizations claim to provide practical support for fellow migrants, and enable better political representation of migrants. However, the understanding of migrants’ rights and obligations towards the host society heavily depends on the political orientation of the migrant organization. While the left migrant organization focuses on migrants’ rights, and the obligations of the host society to protect and defend them, the conservative right organization primarily talks about migrants’ duties towards the host society, and their obligation to assimilate. We thus conclude that ideological considerations weigh more heavily than the shared migratory experience. Migrant organizations affiliated to specific political parties appeal primarily to migrants’ ideological orientation, whereas their common migration background appears secondary. While these results need to be compared to other political and institutional contexts, they have important implications for the study of migrant organization – both ethnical and political, and the study of the role and importance of the migratory experience in the formation of political opinions.