Politicising immigration in times of crisis: empirical evidence from Switzerland

Abstract

This article investigates the politicisation of immigration in Switzerland during two major socioeconomic crises: the oil crisis of the 1970s and the financial crisis of the late 2000s. Based on 2,853 newspaper claims from 1970 to 1976 and 1995 to 2018, we measure and compare differences in salience, polarisation, actor diversity and frame use between crisis and noncrisis periods. We find that while claims-making on immigration was indeed more salient, polarised, and diversified during the oil crisis, the empirical data for the financial crisis are inconclusive or show a slight decrease. Nonetheless, we still find a noteworthy increase in the use of identity frames during both periods. We conclude that while crises may influence claims-making about immigration and thus affect the politicisation of the matter, their contextual links to particular immigrant groups appear to be of importance as well. Crises do not increase politicisation automatically but may provide important opportunity structures that foster it.

Narratives of crisis and their influence on attitudes, behaviour, and policies of migration and mobility: A Framework

“…Much attention has been dedicated to narratives of migration concerning the so-called "migration crisis" of 2015, the "Covid-19 crisis" of 2020, and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The framework we outline here, however, readily applies to other potential turning points, such as the oil crisis of the 1970s (Bitschnau et al 2021), the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of Apartheid, or changes after World War II.…”

The “refugee crisis” as an opportunity structure for right-wing populist social movements: The case of PEGIDA

“…Periods of crisis and uncertainty provide highly attractive opportunity struc tures to foster the creation of master frames. Whenever a crisis arises, it usually entails the disintegration of norms and beliefs that have long been taken for granted in society (Rosenthal, t'Hart, & Charles, 1989; see also Bitschnau, Ader, Ruedin, & D'Amato, 2021), which encourages many people to raise their voices and engage in collective action. While this action is often rooted in the ramifications of the crisis on their lives, one must not forget that crises are always subject to social construction and interpretation.…”