European Pathways from September 11: The Role of Public Opinion Brown Bag presentation by Anthony M. Messina, PhD, University of Notre Dame

Date/Time: Friday, May 23, 2008, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Location: Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, APSA, 1527 New   Hampshire Ave., Washington, D.C.
To Attend: Seating is limited. Please RSVP to center@apsanet.org or call (202) 483-2512.

European Pathways from September 11:
The Role of Public Opinion

Against the backdrop of claims that September 11th has transformed politics, polities, and policies within the immigration-receiving countries, my research – part of a book project on the effectiveness of European state strategies to navigate the contradictions raised by the recent securitization of immigration -- poses several questions. First, has European public opinion become more illiberal on immigration-related questions since September 11th? Are Europe’s political elites under unusual pressure to align public policy with the preferences of an increasingly illiberal electorate? Second, to what degree have immigration-related issues become more securitized in the public mind? Does the opinion survey record demonstrate that European publics since September 11th feel more economically, socially, and physically insecure in the face of mass immigration?

Although public opinion evidence from other pertinent European cases is considered, special attention is given to the British, French, and Spanish cases. In each of the aforementioned countries the trauma of September 11, 2001 serves as a marker for domestic terrorist events that either preceded or soon followed September 11th. In short, the American experience has potentially reinforced for the publics in each of these countries, albeit perhaps to varying degrees, the appropriateness of viewing immigration-related issues through the prism of security.