Nationalist parties and immigration in Flanders: from Volksunie to Spirit and N-VA |
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Authors: | Ilke Adam Kris Deschouwer |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgiumilke.adam@vub.ac.be;3. Political Science Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACTThis article contributes to the literature on the sub-state nationalist and regionalist parties (SNRPs) by investigating the policy positions in the immigration ambit taken by the Flemish nationalist party Volksunie, and by its successors after the party fell apart in 2001. We do so by analysing the party manifestos for all elections between 1978 and 2014. Beyond providing a detailed case study, the article has broader ambitions. The paper bridges the gap between the party literature and the literature on immigration and integration policies. It does so in two ways. First, it relies on a more nuanced categorisation of policy positions proposed by the immigration policy literature, which is absent in the party literature. Second, it draws explicit attention to the nation-building strategy of SNRPs as an intervening explanatory variable, mediating the influence of party competition and ideology. |
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Keywords: | Sub-state nationalism Volksunie immigration integration Flanders |
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