Immigrant organizations and the politicization of cultural diversity in the city

Abstract

The literature on the local political participation of immigrants has focused on how institutional actors shape their organization and mobilization; however, these studies have not sufficiently explored the role of specific institutional actors in opening or closing access to the political process. This is more evident when certain aspects of immigrant cultural diversity are politicized through restrictive discourses and policy actions. Based on this, I ask in the present paper: How do immigrant organizations relate to political parties during specific moments of the politicization of cultural diversity at the local level? I argue that the way both actors relate to each other under these circumstances is strongly influenced by the ‘engagement strategies’ used by political parties to seek support for their positions. Based on the literature related to the political participation of immigrants from a political opportunity approach, I analyze the anti-Romanian-Roma campaign in the city of Badalona and the burka ban in public buildings in the city of Lleida, both in Catalonia, Spain. Initial findings show how political parties instrumentalize immigrant organizations to either legitimize their position or to mobilize them against other political parties. They also show how local dynamics define the interaction between these actors during politicization.