Mobilization Against Asylum Seekers in Contemporary Urban Spaces: Not in Our Backyard PDF
Preview Mobilization Against Asylum Seekers in Contemporary Urban Spaces: Not in Our Backyard
M O B I L I Z A T I O N A G A I N S T A S Y L U M S E The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture E K E R S MOBILIZATION AGAINST ASYLUM I N C O N SEEKERS IN CONTEMPORARY T E M P O URBAN SPACES R A R Y U R NOT IN OUR BACKYARD B A N S P Iris Beau Segers A C E S Mobilization against Asylum Seekers in Contemporary Urban Spaces This book investigates the issue of local mobilization against asylum seek- ers in urban areas, which are often disproportionally affected by complex issues related to immigration and integration, as well as socio-economic development and growing inequalities. Based on ethnographic research in the city of Rotterdam, it explores the conditions under which mobilization against the establishment of an asylum seekers’ centre emerged, offering a combined analysis of interviews, social media, and mainstream media to demonstrate the key role played by storytelling in the development of oppo- sition to the arrival of asylum seekers. Presenting a theoretical model of anti-immigration mobilization that connects the social importance of sto- rytelling to broader socio-political developments and conditions, this vol- ume will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology, and politics with interests in migration, social movements, and mobilization around conten- tious issues. Iris Beau Segers is a researcher at the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo, Norway. The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture Series editor: Professor Hank Johnston, San Diego State University, USA Published in conjunction with Mobilization: An International Quarterly, the premier research journal in the field, this series publishes a broad range of research in social movements, protest and contentious politics. This is a growing field of social science research that spans sociology and politi- cal science as well as anthropology, geography, communications and social psychology. Enjoying a broad remit, the series welcome works on the fol- lowing topics: social movement networks; social movements in the global South; social movements, protest, and culture; personalist politics, such as living environmentalism, guerrilla gardens, anticonsumerist communities, anarchist-punk collectives; and emergent repertoires of contention. Racialized Protest and the State Resistance and Repression in a Divided America Edited by Hank Johnston and Pamela Oliver Power and Protest at an American University No Confidence, No Fear Edited by Ellen Carnaghan and Kathryn E. Kuhn Exiled Activism Political Mobilization in Egypt and England David McKeever Resisting the Backlash Street Protest in Italy Donatella della Porta, Niccolò Bertuzzi, Daniela Chironi, Chiara Milan, Martín Portos and Lorenzo Zamponi For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge. com/The-Mobilization-Series-on-Social-Movements-Protest-and-Culture/ book-series/ASHSER1345 Mobilization against Asylum Seekers in Contemporary Urban Spaces Not in Our Backyard Iris Beau Segers First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Iris Beau Segers The right of Iris Beau Segers to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Parts of this book have been rewritten and adapted from the following articles, with permission of the publisher: Segers, I. B. (2021). New neighbours or a security threat? The role of local stories in anti-asylum seeker centre mobilization in the Netherlands. International Communication Gazette, 83(1), 48-62. doi:10.1177/1748048519883514 Segers, I. B. (2020). The “Brick and Mortar” of Mobilization? Storytelling and Materiality in Anti-Asylum Seeker Center Protests in the Netherlands. Contention, 8(2), 53-73. doi: 10.3167/ cont.2020.080204 Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-76561-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-76567-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-16756-3 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003167563 Typeset in Times by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. This book is dedicated to my grandfather, Cornelis (Co) van der Smagt. Contents List of figures viii List of tables ix 1 Introduction: The refugee crisis in an urban context 1 2 Why do people protest against asylum seekers? A story-based approach 8 3 Immigration and urban space: The Dutch context 57 4 Stories and the self: Identity and fear of the ‘other’ 81 5 Stories you can touch: Urban materiality and protest 106 6 Voiceless stories: Contentious politics and distrust 123 7 Media coverage of protest: Dominant stories and counterstories 153 8 An online echo chamber? Social media and mobilization 170 9 Conclusion: Why stories matter 189 Index 203 Figures 2.1 Main explanatory model of mobilization 34 4.1 Identity theme, sub-themes, and codes 82 5.1 Materiality theme, sub-themes, and codes 107 6.1 Voice theme, sub-themes, and codes 124 8.1 Facebook engagement ‘No AZC in Beverwaard’ 171 8.2 Links shared in ‘No AZC in Beverwaard’ Facebook community 172 9.1 Main explanatory model of mobilization 191 Tables 2.1 Anti-immigration mobilization theories: an overview 22 2.2 Overview of data collection and analysis 37 2.3 Operationalization of ‘visibility’ 42 2.4 Operationalization of ‘resonance’ 42 2.5 Operationalization of ‘legitimacy’ 43 7.1 Attention given to news stories within the AZC debate, national versus local Dutch media 154 7.2 Media stories about the ‘tent meeting’ 156 7.3 Media stories about ‘local resistance against the AZC’ 157 7.4 Media stories about ‘municipal decision making AZC’ 159 7.5 Media stories about ‘area committee conflict’ 160 7.6 Media stories about ‘radical right/extreme right actors’ 161 7.7 Protesters’ discursive opportunities in media stories about the tent meeting 162 7.8 Protesters’ discursive opportunities in media stories about local resistance against the asylum seekers’ centre 163 7.9 Protesters’ discursive opportunities in media stories about municipal decision-making 163 7.10 Protesters’ discursive opportunities in media stories about municipal decision-making 164 7.11 Protesters’ discursive opportunities in media stories about radical right/extreme right actors 164 7.12 Opinion articles and columns 165 8.1 Story categories in ‘No AZC in Beverwaard’ Facebook community 173 8.2 Facebook community stories about ‘Asylum seekers/ AZCs/immigration’ 174 8.3 Facebook community stories about ‘Local politics’ 177 8.4 Facebook community stories about ‘National politics’ 179 8.5 Facebook community stories about the ‘Stigmatization of anti-AZC protesters’ 179 8.6 Facebook community stories about ‘Mainstream media’ 180 8.7 Mobilization on Facebook 183
The list of books you might like
