Immigrant Newcomers and the Old Politics of Nationalism

Abstract

In contemporary democracies, immigration, migrant integration, and the management of diversity are the objects of robust political and social debate. In European societies, for instance, the numbers of immigrant newcomers, the place of cultural and religious diversity, and, in some countries, even the labour mobility of European Union (EU) citizens have become electorally charged. Formal demands regarding migrants’ linguistic, cultural or values adaptation via ‘civic integration’ tests or courses have proliferated in recent years. Yet, despite some claims of convergence on immigration, integration and citizenship policies (Soysal 1994), states continue to adopt a variety of approaches regarding admissions criteria, integration requirements and the social, civic and political rights extended to both individual migrants and ethnic and religious groups (Koopmans et al. 2012).