International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Volume 41, 2014, Pages 91-101
Understanding transnational political involvement among Senegalese migrants: The role of acculturation preferences and perceived discrimination (Article)
Green E.G.T.* ,
Sarrasin O. ,
Maggi J.
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a
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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b
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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c
Sociology Department, University of Geneva, Bd. du Pont d'Arve 40, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
Abstract
In political debates, migrants' political involvement in their countries of origin and successful adaptation to receiving countries are often portrayed as incompatible. We address this concern by examining the links between acculturation preferences, perceived discrimination, and migrants' transnational political involvement in their country of origin. In line with collective action research, a cross-sectional questionnaire study (N= 84) among Senegalese migrants in Paris (France) and Geneva (Switzerland) examined three pathways to transnational political involvement (motivations and actual behaviour). Perceived discrimination, the grievances pathway, was positively related to both transnational motivations (but only when desire to adopt the receiving culture was low) and political behaviour in Senegal. Desire to adopt the culture of the receiving society as an acculturation preference, the embeddedness pathway, was also positively linked to transnational motivations and political behaviour. Finally, desire to maintain the culture of origin as an acculturation preference-the collective identification pathway-was unrelated to transnational political involvement. These findings underscore the compatibility of transnational political involvement in countries of origin and adaptation to receiving societies. We discuss the pivotal role of political psychology in bringing together acculturation psychology and transnationalism studies. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84904747948&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijintrel.2014.05.001&partnerID=40&md5=799432245677f554d271450032a388d1
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2014.05.001
ISSN: 01471767
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English