Is emigration a blow to liberal democracy?

COMPAS and SEESOX Trinity 2021 Seminar Series

Thursdays at 4pm (Weeks 2, 5 and 6) on Zoom. 

The Politics of Emigration: Representations and contestations

International immigrants, by their mere act of crossing national borders, challenge ideologies which make claims for the territorial and ethnic boundedness of the national entity. They constitute ‘problematic exceptions’ to the nationalist image of normal life which prescribes that people should stay in the places where they belong, that is, in ‘their’ nation-states (Wimmer and Glick Schiller 2002). There is abundant literature in migration studies that problematizes such ideologies for their detrimental impact on (prospective) immigrants in destination countries. However, there is much less attention on their role in informing emigration representations in countries of origin. Diaspora literature suggests that a shift has taken place in recent years with governments changing their narratives from denouncing emigrants as deserters, to celebrating them as an extension of the nation outside the state. To what extent can this be said to be true? What are the different actors shaping discourses on emigration in origin countries and how do these feed in on policies that aim to regulate exit and govern citizens abroad? How do emigrants respond to such representations?


These seminars will take place on Zoom. Registration is free but necessary. To register for any or all of these seminars please click this registration link.

When you click the above link, you will be taken to the Zoom website where you can choose to attend one or more of the seminars. After registration, an email confirmation will be sent to you.

More information on the COMPAS website.