Migrant transnationalism in violent democracies

Abstract

We can strengthen our understanding of the relationship between transnational migration and origin-country politics by starting with the premise that violence is a key feature of democratic politics in many migrant-sending countries. Violent democracies are peacetime countries in which the legitimate means to accessing power are no longer violently contested; yet at the substate level, manifold political actors regularly use violence to compete for power and make demands within established democratic institutional frameworks. Drawing primarily on the case of Mexico, this issue explores the interactions between migrant transnationalism, particularly migrants’ collective and family remittances, and this violent pluralism. The articles show that social and political remittances influence the emergence of armed vigilante groups and that violence modifies the known effects of remittances on the political behaviour of individuals living in migrant-sending households. The violent democracy perspective raises questions overlooked by research on migration and democratisation, diaspora engagement with origin countries plagued by armed civil conflict, and transnational crime. Therefore, research on this topic merits a dedicated theoretical and empirical approach. Building on the Issue’s empirical findings, I advance a broad agenda for future research both within Mexico and in violent migrant-sending democracies around the world.