Speaker Series

Robert Braun, University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Braun argues that national border crossings act as focal points for xenophobia. The convergence of two distinct mechanisms produces this pattern. First, when the nation-state is under pressure, border crossings make cross-national differences salient, producing a perceived link between international forces and socio-economic problems among those who are losing social status. Second, border crossings come to symbolize international threats and attract aggressive nationalist mobilization by radical movements. In this distinct spatial landscape, ethnic outsiders – groups that transcend the nation- become scapegoats for broader social problems facing the community. Braun develops his argument through the study of local variation in antisemitism in Weimar Germany before the Holocaust. Statistical analysis of Jewish bogeyman and in-depth explorations of local reports on antisemitism reveal how Weimar pluralism started eroding among small business owners and market producing farmers living at the margins of the state. Through the demonstration that borders between nations activate borders within nations, this paper sheds new light on the complicated relationship between pluralism and state formation by drawing attention to the spatial sources of xenophobia.

Oliver Schmidtke, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Centre for Global Studies, Jean Monnet Chair in European History and Politics, University of Victoria

Western democracies are confronted with the rise of populist parties that are fueled by strong anti-establishment sentiments. In particular right-wing, nationalist forces have gained considerable support with their anti-immigrant agenda and changed the landscape of party politics throughout Europe and North America. What we have witnessed with the surge of right-wing populism is a profound weakening of democratic processes and institutions (constitutional division of power, free press, and independent judiciary). The presentation will consider the driving forces behind the electoral success of right-wing populism and the effects it has on liberal democracy. Oliver Schmidtke is a Professor in the Departments of Political Science and History at the University of Victoria where he also holds the Jean Monnet Chair in European History and Politics. He received his PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. He currently serves as the director of the Centre for Global Studies in Victoria. His research interests are in the fields of the politics and governance of migration, citizenship, nationalism, and populism.

Hannah Alarian, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Abstract – Do local immigrant voting rights increase citizenship acquisition? Although some contend immigrants acquire citizenship when the relative benefits of acquisition are greater than its costs, Prof. Alarian posits that immigrant inclusion is path dependent – such that early suffrage could encourage rather than deter naturalization. This theory was tested with a series of cross-national and quantitative case-study analyses. First, Prof. Alarian examined the effect of municipal suffrage on naturalization in the EU using bilateral OECD acquisition figures among 14 EU destinations and 127 non-EU origins between 2007 and 2014. Second, she estimated the causal effect of non-EU suffrage by exploiting origin-specific variation in access to Spain’s 2011 municipal elections. Across each analysis, Prof. Alarian finds local voting rights increases formal membership. She further reveals these patterns are not present for other forms of non-citizen political rights. These findings challenge cost-benefit approaches to national membership, revealing suffrage reinforces rather than degrades citizenship. Hannah M. Alarian is currently an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, where she also is a faculty affiliate with the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship and Center for European Studies. Her research examines topics of migrant integration, immigration, political identity and participation, and public policy. Her research broadly examines the processes through which immigrants are included in and excluded from their new societies.

Niko Switek, University of Washington

Anand Menon, King’s College London

Moritz Schramm, University of Southern Denmark

Jane Gingrich, Magdalen College, University of Oxford

Robert Braun, University of California, Berkeley This event was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Vivien Schmidt, Boston University

Anna Grzymala-Busse, Stanford University

Marc Helbling, University of Bamberg

Sara Wallace Goodman, University of California, Irvine

Michael Doyle, Columbia University Co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science

Phil Triadafilopoulos, University of Toronto

Donna Gabaccia, University of Toronto Co-sponsored by Green College, Departments of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies; History; Geography; Sociology

Eiko Thielemann, LSE

Kimberly Morgan, George Washington University