Description
Migrants have, for some time, engaged in the politics of their homelands from a distance, but, as this book argues, politicians are increasingly looking beyond their national boundaries for electoral and political support. While migrants rarely cast decisive votes in homeland elections, they are not marginal to homeland politics. Courting Migrants looks at how extraterritorial outreach by homeland states and parties alters the boundaries of political membership and intersects with migrant agency to transform politics at home. It addresses three specific questions: under what conditions and in what ways do homeland authorities reach out to migrants? How do these migrants respond? And, to what extent does their response affect homeland governance? Katrina Burgess argues that globalization and the spread of democracy since the 1970s have encouraged politicians in the Global South to reach out to migrants in search of economic resources, foreign policy support, and/or electoral advantage. They do so by cultivating feelings of loyalty that induce some kinds of migrant engagement while discouraging others. Whether or not these politicians succeed depends on where migrants are located, how many resources they have, what kinds of identities they value, and why they left their homeland in the first place. This interaction between outreach and engagement has implications, in turn, for how migrants are responding to the current wave of populism and authoritarianism around the globe. The book is based on in-depth research on state-migrant relations in four high-migration countries: Turkey, Dominican Republic, Philippines, and Mexico.
About the Author
Katrina Burgess is Associate Professor of Political Economy at Tufts University's Fletcher School.
Reviews
Burgess offers a richly informed study of the reciprocal relationships between homeland governments and increasingly organized migrant and diasporic communities ... While other scholars have explored important aspects of transnational diasporic politics, no one has offered the panoptic synthesis achieved here. An excellent, required text for upper-level courses in politics, international relations, and migration studies. * K. Toeloelyan, CHOICE *
Combining lively detail, statistics, and national stories, Burgess puts forth a novel theoretical framework that breaks down the complex pressures on emigrant engagement. In the process, she offers critical insights on how migrants may help build democracy. Courting Migrants will be essential reading for anyone concerned with migration, politics, or the interplay between them. * Abigail Andrews, author of Undocumented Politics: Place, Gender, and the Pathways of Mexican Migrants *
Burgess makes a significant contribution by offering a much-needed comparative, cross-regional perspective to understand diaspora engagement as a set of interactive and continuous processes of mutual transformation for both migrants and states across time and space. Through original conceptual and empirical interventions, this book raises key questions about political membership and democracy-building through the lens of migrant participation across borders. * Alexandra Delano Alonso, author of From Here and There: Diaspora Policies, Integration and Social Rights Beyond Borders *
This fresh approach to understanding migrants' political ties with their homelands compares four different countries and their diasporas. Moving beyond stale debates about whether these ties exist, Burgess shows the conditions under which they flourish or fade and how they shape struggles for power. * David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers *
This remarkable book succeeds in opening the 'black box' of political diaspora engagement. Drawing from rich case studies, Burgess demonstrates that diaspora engagement is not a one-way process but rather consists of continuous 'feedback loops' through which competing interests and identities are negotiated. This innovative approach makes Courting Migrants an important and timely contribution to the still emerging research field of migration and democracy-building. * Stefan Rother, author of Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants *
This timely and engaging book is a stimulating contribution to the broader understanding of diaspora-state relations. Through a well-framed and insightful comparative analysis, Burgess shows how diaspora-making strategies and migrant political engagement interact and under which conditions migrants conform to or challenge homeland authorities. Importantly, the inspiring theoretical framework and analysis highlight the crucial role of transnationalized political parties in migrant-state relations. Courting migrants is an invaluable step towards a stronger dialogue between studies of migration and democratization. * Eva Ostergaard-Nielsen, Autonomous University of Barcelona *
In this insightful, expansive analysis, Katrina Burgess takes us to Mexico, Turkey, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic to uncover how states make migrants and migrants make states. Combining lively detail, statistics, and national stories, she puts forth a novel theoretical framework that breaks down the complex pressures on emigrant engagement. In the process, she offers critical insights on how migrants may help build democracy. Courting Migrants will be essential reading for anyone concerned with migration, politics, or the interplay between them. * Abigail Andrews, author of Undocumented Politics: Place, Gender, and the Pathways of Mexican Migrants *
Burgess makes a significant contribution by offering a much-needed comparative, cross-regional perspective to understand diaspora engagement as a set of interactive and continuous processes of mutual transformation for both migrants and states across time and space. Through original conceptual and empirical interventions, this book raises key questions about political membership and democracy-building through the lens of migrant participation across borders. * Alexandra Delano Alonso, author of From Here and There: Diaspora Policies, Integration and Social Rights Beyond Borders *
This fresh approach to understanding migrants' political ties with their homelands compares four different countries and their diasporas. Moving beyond stale debates about whether these ties exist, Burgess shows the conditions under which they flourish or fade and how they shape struggles for power. * David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers *
This remarkable book succeeds in opening the 'black box' of political diaspora engagement. Drawing from rich case studies, Burgess demonstrates that diaspora engagement is not a one-way process but rather consists of continuous 'feedback loops' through which competing interests and identities are negotiated. This innovative approach makes Courting Migrants an important and timely contribution to the still emerging research field of migration and democracy-building. * Stefan Rother, author of Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants *
Awards
Winner of Honorable Mention, 2022 Luciano Tomassini Latin American International Relations Book Award, LASA.
Book Information
ISBN 9780197501795
Author Katrina Burgess
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 160mm * 241mm * 20mm
About the Author
Katrina Burgess is Associate Professor of Political Economy at Tufts University's Fletcher School.
Reviews
Burgess offers a richly informed study of the reciprocal relationships between homeland governments and increasingly organized migrant and diasporic communities ... While other scholars have explored important aspects of transnational diasporic politics, no one has offered the panoptic synthesis achieved here. An excellent, required text for upper-level courses in politics, international relations, and migration studies. * K. Toeloelyan, CHOICE *
Combining lively detail, statistics, and national stories, Burgess puts forth a novel theoretical framework that breaks down the complex pressures on emigrant engagement. In the process, she offers critical insights on how migrants may help build democracy. Courting Migrants will be essential reading for anyone concerned with migration, politics, or the interplay between them. * Abigail Andrews, author of Undocumented Politics: Place, Gender, and the Pathways of Mexican Migrants *
Burgess makes a significant contribution by offering a much-needed comparative, cross-regional perspective to understand diaspora engagement as a set of interactive and continuous processes of mutual transformation for both migrants and states across time and space. Through original conceptual and empirical interventions, this book raises key questions about political membership and democracy-building through the lens of migrant participation across borders. * Alexandra Delano Alonso, author of From Here and There: Diaspora Policies, Integration and Social Rights Beyond Borders *
This fresh approach to understanding migrants' political ties with their homelands compares four different countries and their diasporas. Moving beyond stale debates about whether these ties exist, Burgess shows the conditions under which they flourish or fade and how they shape struggles for power. * David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers *
This remarkable book succeeds in opening the 'black box' of political diaspora engagement. Drawing from rich case studies, Burgess demonstrates that diaspora engagement is not a one-way process but rather consists of continuous 'feedback loops' through which competing interests and identities are negotiated. This innovative approach makes Courting Migrants an important and timely contribution to the still emerging research field of migration and democracy-building. * Stefan Rother, author of Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants *
This timely and engaging book is a stimulating contribution to the broader understanding of diaspora-state relations. Through a well-framed and insightful comparative analysis, Burgess shows how diaspora-making strategies and migrant political engagement interact and under which conditions migrants conform to or challenge homeland authorities. Importantly, the inspiring theoretical framework and analysis highlight the crucial role of transnationalized political parties in migrant-state relations. Courting migrants is an invaluable step towards a stronger dialogue between studies of migration and democratization. * Eva Ostergaard-Nielsen, Autonomous University of Barcelona *
In this insightful, expansive analysis, Katrina Burgess takes us to Mexico, Turkey, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic to uncover how states make migrants and migrants make states. Combining lively detail, statistics, and national stories, she puts forth a novel theoretical framework that breaks down the complex pressures on emigrant engagement. In the process, she offers critical insights on how migrants may help build democracy. Courting Migrants will be essential reading for anyone concerned with migration, politics, or the interplay between them. * Abigail Andrews, author of Undocumented Politics: Place, Gender, and the Pathways of Mexican Migrants *
Burgess makes a significant contribution by offering a much-needed comparative, cross-regional perspective to understand diaspora engagement as a set of interactive and continuous processes of mutual transformation for both migrants and states across time and space. Through original conceptual and empirical interventions, this book raises key questions about political membership and democracy-building through the lens of migrant participation across borders. * Alexandra Delano Alonso, author of From Here and There: Diaspora Policies, Integration and Social Rights Beyond Borders *
This fresh approach to understanding migrants' political ties with their homelands compares four different countries and their diasporas. Moving beyond stale debates about whether these ties exist, Burgess shows the conditions under which they flourish or fade and how they shape struggles for power. * David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers *
This remarkable book succeeds in opening the 'black box' of political diaspora engagement. Drawing from rich case studies, Burgess demonstrates that diaspora engagement is not a one-way process but rather consists of continuous 'feedback loops' through which competing interests and identities are negotiated. This innovative approach makes Courting Migrants an important and timely contribution to the still emerging research field of migration and democracy-building. * Stefan Rother, author of Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants *
Awards
Winner of Honorable Mention, 2022 Luciano Tomassini Latin American International Relations Book Award, LASA.
Book Information
ISBN 9780197501795
Author Katrina Burgess
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 160mm * 241mm * 20mm
