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    Whiteshift: demographic change, populism and polarization in the West

    Kaufmann, Eric (2021) Whiteshift: demographic change, populism and polarization in the West. In: Sciubba, J.D. (ed.) A Research Agenda for Political Demography. Elgar Research Agendas. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781788975735.

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    Abstract

    In this chapter, I show how population shifts – and the heightened threat perceptions these give rise to – are major forces shaping contemporary politics. Those who study right-wing populism or ethnic conflict often ignore population dynamics. Even those who consider the role of immigration for populism fail to situate this discussion in the wider literature on differential ethnic population growth in particular, and political demography more generally. With demographic and economic disparities set to increase in the decades ahead, more attention needs to be paid to the way migration and ethnic change are processed by host societies. How rapid and culturally distinct are migration flows? To what extent are ethnic majorities and national identities absorptive or exclusive? How strong are cross-cutting, competing issues, which may distract political systems from focusing on problems of ethnic change? These are some of the questions that will need to be asked to better understand the politics of developed and developing societies in the twenty-first century. Book synopsis: Exploring how demographic dynamism continues to shape the character of societies, this forward-looking Research Agenda offers insights into how the human population has undergone fundamental demographic shifts, and the impact these have had on how we organize ourselves politically, the design of our economic systems, and even our societal relationships.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Book Section
    Additional Information: This is a draft chapter/article. The final version is available in A Research Agenda for Political Demography edited by Jennifer D. Sciubba, published in 2021, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975742 The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher, and is for private use only.
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Depositing User: Eric Kaufmann
    Date Deposited: 24 Jan 2022 17:48
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 18:13
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/46497

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