Civil Society, Migration and Citizenship

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "International Migration".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2442

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
International Studies, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
Interests: migrants; asylum seekers; refugees; citizenship; legality; global health; Japan; the United States

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores various roles civil society organizations play for migrants and refugees, before, during, and after their movements from their countries of origin to other destinations. Referring to the burgeoning citizenship and migration studies literature, this issue looks to feature a wide range of studies that examine how domestic and international civil society organizations facilitate the polito-legal and sociocultural inclusion and exclusion of migrants and refugees in the sending and receiving societies. The articles’ topics may include but are not limited to: civil society’s role in facilitating the emigration and asylum-seeking processes; non-governmental organizations’ ambivalent positions in assisting asylum seekers and migrants while working with state agencies who seek to control them; migrants and refugees as active agents who engage with civil society organizations for their benefit; refugee resettlement assistance organizations who, consciously or not, acculturate the newly arrived refugees into a host society; civil society organizations’ challenges to the state-defined citizenship through advocating for undocumented migrants and rejected asylum seekers. Together, these articles will contribute to our understanding of the dynamic relationships between migrants, refugees, states, and non-state actors that configure migration and resettlement processes, exploring the implications of such relationships for the conceptualization of citizenship.

Prof. Dr. Taku Suzuki
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • migrants
  • asylum seekers
  • refugees
  • civil society
  • states
  • international organizations
  • non-governmental organizations
  • citizenship
  • legality

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 385 KiB  
Article
The Trajectories That Remain to Be Told: Civic Participation, Immigrant Organizations, and Women’s Leadership in Portugal
by Joana Topa and Carla Cerqueira
Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(12), 665; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12120665 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1874
Abstract
This study focuses on migrant women and their civic participation in civil society organizations and/or immigrant associations. Despite women’s migration having a long global history and being of academic interest, extensive knowledge of this situation has increased substantially in recent decades; research on [...] Read more.
This study focuses on migrant women and their civic participation in civil society organizations and/or immigrant associations. Despite women’s migration having a long global history and being of academic interest, extensive knowledge of this situation has increased substantially in recent decades; research on the civic participation of immigrant women in Portugal is still incipient. The structural conditions affecting these women’s mobility processes remain overlooked, concealing their vulnerabilities. Additionally, success stories of migrant women, which could serve as inspirations for others, are often invisible. This exploratory research examines the role of female immigrant leaders and the demands they face in facilitating immigrants’ integration into Portuguese society. Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with diverse immigrant organizations in Portugal, advocating for immigrant rights and promoting integration through various strategies. The results reveal that migrant women’s experiences and participation in leadership roles are shaped not only by their migrant background and their qualifications but also by the difficulties they encountered upon arrival in Portugal. These leaders tend to focus on constraints, particularly regarding the organization’s sustainability, rather than emphasizing opportunities for civic participation. Nevertheless, this study also reveals that participation in IOs leads to increased autonomy and a heightened sense of empowerment for these women. It grants them a voice, visibility, and recognition both in the host society and their own communities. Overall, the study sheds light on the significance of recognizing immigrant women’s contributions and challenges, as well as the crucial role played by immigrant organizations in promoting integration and advocating for immigrants’ rights in Portugal. It also emphasizes the need for the government to financially support these organizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Civil Society, Migration and Citizenship)
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