Migration and the politics of integration

Abstract

This open access short reader provides an introductory yet critically analytical exploration of migration and the politics of integration. Drawing inspiration from Nira Yuval-Davis' concept of the 'politics of belonging,' we define the 'politics of integration' as various political projects aimed at constructing integration, belonging, and cohesion within different collectivities. The book explores theoretical debates, such as the cultural, civic, and local turns, governmentality, subsidiarity, nationalism, nativism, securitization of migration, ultra-politics, sub-politics, populism, nativism, multiculturalism, and interculturalism. Based on the authors' empirical research findings, the book analyzes the directions the politics of integration have taken in Europe during the neoliberal era. This era is characterized by a bipolar, Manichean view of the world, which exacerbates the divide between "us" and "them". Written in an assessable way, the book offers valuable insights for social science students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as for policymakers and practitioners grappling with the challenges posed by migration and its political dimensions.