Activism, NGOs, and the State
Activism, NGOs, and the State
Multilevel Responses to Immigration Politics in Europe
Melissa Schnyder
London New York
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Copyright 2015 by Melissa Schnyder
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: HB 978-1-78348-419-5
PB 978-1-78348-420-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schnyder, Melissa.
Activism, NGOs,CIP and the state : multilevel responses to immigration politics in Europe / Melissa Schnyder.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-78348-419-5 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-78348-420-1 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-78348-421-8 (electronic) 1. European Union countriesEmigration and immigrationGovernment policy. 2. Non-governmental organizationsEuropean Union countries. 3. Non-governmental organizationsInternational cooperation. I. Title.
JV7590.S354 2015
325.4dc23
2015019468
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
To my daughters, Giada and Sylvia Cornwell
Acknowledgments
The inspiration for this project stemmed from past research that took me to Brussels, Paris, and London, to interview activists working for migrant and refugee rights in Europe. Although the groups they represented are often well-known for their contentious forms of political activism, I nevertheless heard many anecdotal accounts of collaboration that took various (and sometimes not so obvious) non-challenging forms. Over the past ten years, I have often thought back to those early conversations and wondered how so many diverse groups could possibly overcome formidable resource, ideological, and structural obstacles to organize themselves into common action on highly contested issues that, overall, continue to lack political and popular support. I am thankful for the opportunity to have had those initial conversations, and acknowledge the research support provided by the Fulbright Program, the Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States, Belgium, and Luxembourg, and the Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for the initial project, and by American Public University System for the more recent research on which this book is based.I am extremely grateful to my former student and skilled research assistant, Jacob Tatge, who managed to help me compile the population of relevant organizations for this study while deployed in Afghanistan. I am amazed at his kindness, generosity, and dedication to this project. The fact that he was able to successfully complete many demanding tasks under difficult circumstances is a testament to his outstanding academic abilities and strength of character.The three anonymous reviewers who provided helpful comments on earlier versions merit a special thank you for valuable improvements to many chapters. I have also had the opportunity to present portions of this work to panels at the Midwest Political Science Association and the Southern Political Science Association, and have benefited from participants suggestions and comments. A special thank you is extended as well to Anna Reeve and the skilled editorial staff at Rowman & Littlefield International for their professionalism, efficiency, and thoughtful guidance. I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderful team who significantly improved the quality of the manuscript.I am deeply indebted to the many organizations that participated in this research project and have been extremely generous with their time and insight. Many of the organizations I interacted with navigate considerable workloads solely on the basis of volunteer support or with a small handful of full-time staff members. Their dedication and tireless work in the area of migrant and refugee rights continues to influence politics at multiple levels. I am very grateful for their time spent answering my questions, and for the willingness with which they provided valuable information about their organizations and political activities. This project would not have been possible without their active participation.Finally, I am indebted to my husband Derekh Cornwelllongtime researcher, statistician, and sounding boardand my entire family for their support. I am grateful to Derekh for conversations and valuable feedback that helped me develop early ideas, and for providing the statistical software that enabled me to complete the analyses. My mom (Lynn Ferko Alan) and dad (Chris Schnyder) are quintessential products of the 1960s and inspired my initial interest in social movements. I appreciate all they have done. I also thank Mark, Shayna, Dan, Sophia, and Sienna. Most of all, I am grateful to my girls, Giada and Sylvia, who are my greatest teachers.
Introduction
A Focus on Migrant Inclusion and the Politics of Immigration and Asylum in Europe
Immigration control and immigrant integration represent two broad policy areas that define the parameters around which nation-states have traditionally conceptualized and enacted laws dealing with migration. Whereas the former addresses admission into the state, including who and how many are granted the right of entrance, the latter deals with incorporating migrants already living in the state and thus addresses citizenship and naturalization issues (see Money 1999). Throughout this book, I refer to migrant inclusion as an overarching concept that incorporates issue areas related to both of these policy areas, among others.
As a conceptual framework, migrant inclusion is broad enough to deal not only with political-legal issues involving the numbers and types of people who may enter a particular country, as well as the requirements for attaining citizenship, but it also addresses the practical, day-to-day issues that affect migrants level of rights or quality of life, such as access to housing, health care issues, language acquisition, employment, education, artistic expression, and fighting intolerance and discrimination. As such, the concept applies to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) whose work addresses migration-related matters involving political-legal issues (e.g., facilitating immigration and asylum procedures, naturalization requirements, work permits, voting issues, etc.) as well as quality of life or social and cultural adjustment issues (e.g., learning the national customs and language, psychological adjustment, health care, fighting discrimination, job training, etc.). I use the term migrant inclusion in reference to pro-migrant organizations, whose work is dedicated to supporting migrants and advancing their position in society, as well as antiracist organizations, which are not specifically organized to protect migrants, but nonetheless advocate on their behalf (Koopmans et al. 2005, ch. 6). This serves the function of incorporating into the studys focus a broad and diverse sample of organizations across Europe that address a variety of relevant policy areas and issue concerns.
