Nativist politics have not played a big role in recent Irish elections. Might that change?
For more than 20 years I’ve undertaken research on immigration and social change in Ireland. Much of this has focused either on how immigrants are faring or on how Irish society overall has changed. A lot of such work on the experiences of immigrants has focused on topics such as racism, barriers related to direct provision and the marginalisation of those who have settled here within many institutions, including the political system and the media.
My most recent research takes stock of Irish responses to immigration and considers what might be done through social policy, politics, citizenship and thinking about Irish identity to further immigrant integration and social cohesion more generally. It also engages with the rise to prominence of far-right parties and groups that oppose immigration, promote narrow definitions of Irishness and look for inspiration to populist nativist movements in other English-speaking and European democratic countries.
[…]
