Citizens with a migrant background feel insufficiently represented in politics
During the recent elections, the leaders of political parties were once again in the spotlight. Much research into politics also focuses on politicians and theories about who they represent. PhD candidate Judith de Jong was one of the first to conduct research into how citizens experience representation.
Judith, for your research you spoke to 143 citizens with a migrant background in the Netherlands, France and Germany. How do they feel represented by politics?
“Many people experience feelings of frustration and disappointment because they do not feel represented by politics. They believe that important issues, such as racism and discrimination, are not being adequately addressed. Citizens with a migrant background find politics insufficiently diverse. At the same time, they feel very visible because of the negative way in which citizens with a migrant background are discussed in politics.”
What exactly does a migrant background entail?
“According to the official definition of Statistics Netherlands (CBS), it means that you yourself or at least one of your parents was born in another country. In practice, it is often used for people with a non-Western migrant background, so in that sense it is a politicised term. This label covers a diverse group of people with different experiences and opinions about politics.”
Recent research by the University of Amsterdam shows that, with 18 per cent of politicians in the House of Representatives having a migrant background, the Netherlands scores relatively high compared to other European countries. (A quarter of the Dutch population has a migrant background.) Do the Dutch feel better represented in politics than the French or Germans?“Many Dutch people appreciate that it is relatively easy to win a seat in parliament. This gives smaller parties, such as DENK and BIJ1, the opportunity to express alternative views. In countries such as Germany and France, this is more difficult due to their more restrictive electoral systems.”
“Nevertheless, the percentage of politicians with a migrant background in the House of Representatives does not tell the whole story. In my thesis, I looked at how the ‘label’ of migrant background relates to how people identify with politicians. And then you see that there is more at play than a shared migration history. People also look at other shared experiences. Do politicians come from the same neighbourhood? Or do they have the same ethnic or religious background? Or the same experience as a woman wearing a headscarf? Class and experiences with racism in particular proved to be decisive in identifying with politicians. And identification ultimately proved to be more decisive for citizens in how they would like to see their representation than just that shared migration history.”
“Many citizens did think that politicians with whom they identify understand them better. Through experiential knowledge, they can empathise with their everyday concerns and political interests. These politicians are also role models who can counter negative stereotyping – former mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb is of Moroccan descent and a very competent mayor.”
“At the same time, citizens think that these politicians often feel a lot of pressure to conform and are not always able to raise the issues they would like to.”
Can you give an example?
“One example is Member of Parliament Kauthar Bouchallikht, who withdrew from the GroenLinks-PvdA list because she felt that her views on Israel were not sufficiently heard within the party. That is a sad story about diversity.”
Why can’t politicians with a migrant background always speak out?
“In addition to what I said about the political party, they also have to deal with a lot of negative reactions. In politics, there is constant negative talk about Muslims, minorities or migrants. Politicians with a migrant background often have to defend themselves first and only then get to the content. This makes politics less attractive to young people with a migrant background – and in the long term, this group becomes less visible.”
Can citizens with a migrant background also feel represented by politicians without a migrant background?
“Yes, sometimes they can, through a concept I call political imagination, based on Hannah Arendt’s theory. When politicians maintain more everyday contact with multiple groups of citizens in society, they can better empathise and imagine how policy affects them. And that leads to better policy, for example in housing. Take the benefits scandal: if politicians had been more in touch with people receiving benefits, the problems might have been anticipated, discovered or heard earlier.”
What do you hope your research will achieve?
“That politicians in dominant positions will speak out more strongly against exclusion in order to give more space to the experiences of citizens with a migrant background. And that there will be more room for discussions about racism within established parties. Even if diversity in politics increases, people must still be given the space to express themselves.”
Judith de Jong will defend her PhD thesis entitled ‘Minoritized citizens’ perspectives on political representation’ on 12 November at 1 p.m. The defence will take place in the Agnietenkapel.
