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Standing Group on

Migration and Ethnicity

Current Members: 373

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About

The Standing Group covers broad research interests including, but not limited to, the following areas: Migrations from any disciplinary perspective; Inclusion, integration, or assimilation of immigrant populations; Politics and policies concerning refugees and forced displacement; Borders, borderlands, and border politics; Politics of diversity, xenophobia, racism and ethnic prejudice; Politics of accommodating indigenous ethnic minorities; Transnational and diaspora politics of immigrant-origin minorities; Ethnic conflict. The Standing Group provides a platform for scholars studying politics and policies concerning voluntary as well as forced migration and ethnicity to share insights, developments in research methods and perspectives, as well as develop new research co-operations and projects.

The Standing Group will ensure a platform for various scholars studying politics and policies of immigration and ethnicity to share insights, developments in research methods and perspectives and develop new research co-operations and projects.
The issue of mass migration around the world and the resulting increase in ethnic diversity of many societies is one of the major shaping forces in politics today: on local, national and international levels. The national and international immigration policies, response to immigration, political incorporation of the existing minorities, all influence international relations, government policies, electoral politics, political party agendas, and political attitudes such as trust in institutions, support for democracy and welfare policies. Increasing ethnic diversity in a society means a proliferation of subsequent cultural, social and economic divisions in politics and many issues to do with state membership, political participation, representation and social cohesion. As a result of the multifaceted nature of the politics surrounding immigration and ethnicity, the Standing Group will cover the following broad research interests:
– Immigration: policy, politics, public opinion, international issues and conflicts surrounding migration;
– Political incorporation of immigrant minorities: citizenship, representation, participation;
– Politics of diversity: ethnic cleavages in voting, civic and political attitudes, community cohesion;
– The political mobilisation of xenophobia, racism and ethnic prejudice;
– The politics of accommodating indigenous ethnic minorities;
​​​​​​​– Transnational and diaspora politics of immigrant-origin minorities;
– Ethnic conflict.
The issues of political aspects of immigration and ethnicity involve the work of political theorists, from those writing on multiculturalism to fair representation, as well as students of mass politics and public opinion – to understand who votes for whom, and why – and scholars of institutions, to study variation in immigrant and minority political integration. Research from a perspective of international relations is also relevant as immigration is increasingly linked with security concerns, while minorities’ transnational ties challenge a standard domestic politics framework. To reflect this complexity many non-governmental organisations, charities, think tanks and lobby groups have been created around the world. Many universities have created separate research institutes and centres to study these problems across disciplines. Many academic professional associations have founded research networks and groups devoted to the issues of immigration and race. For these reasons, we need to cut across fields, use diverse paradigms and methods.

The activities of the Standing Group include:

– Organising regular Sections, Panels and Workshops at ECPR Conferences;
– Organising other jointly-sponsored events with sister organisations, such as IMISCOE, APSA, ASA, ESA, IPSA and ISA;
– Organising an international summer school for researchers working on politics of immigration and ethnicity (including graduate research students) to promote exchange of research methods and perspective and international co-operation;
– In the longer term the Group will be offering support to graduate students by setting up a graduate student network within the Standing Group;
– In the longer term the Group aims to found awards for best journal articles and best books on the issue of the politics of immigration and ethnicity to promote research excellence in the area.