A presentation by Rahsaan Maxwell (University of North Carolina). This event is part of the Political Economy Lunch Seminar (PELS).
Rahsaan Maxwell is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The central question for his research is how national boundaries operate. Within that theme, he has pursued numerous topics including immigrant integration, political representation, identity and political behavior, primarily in Western Europe. His recent work focuses on urban-rural divides, cultural diversity, globalization and national culture.
Event summary
One of the central conflicts in Western Europe is whether nation-states should be open or closed to immigration and ethnic diversity. These issues have been at the centre of election campaigns and may structure debates about the future of European societies. However, analysis of these debates tends to focus on the anti-immigration side, because those views are considered abhorrent and in need of explanation. People who do not hold anti-immigration views are considered normal and have not been rigorously analysed. This oversight is unfortunate because pro-immigration sentiments may be a unique and complex set of preferences that are more than just the opposite of anti-immigration sentiments. Moreover, the depth of commitment to pro-immigration perspectives is unclear, as many Europeans may be neutral or have conditional preferences. I am writing a book that comprehensively analyzes pro-immigration people, which is essential for better understanding the future of immigration politics in Europe. I will present some of the preliminary results in this talk.
