The Local Politics of Immigration in Rome and Madrid

The previous chapters have examined the politics of immigration in the national laws, policies and political debates of Italy and Spain. However, it has often been claimed that the nation state is not the sole influencer in national politics and that local and regional contexts are increasingly significant decision making arenas (for example, Alexander, 2003, 2007; Bauböck, 2010; Borkert and Caponio, 2010; Davis, 2009; Keating, 1998, 2009; Marks et al., 1996; Sassen, 1996, 2005, 2009; Uitermark et al., 2012). This chapter takes the analysis further by examining the dynamics in the local dimension of politics in the two main cities of Romanian immigration in these countries, namely Rome and Madrid. In doing so, it illustrates how in the local contexts of these cities specific social and political actors from political parties, cultural associations and social organisations such as charities and trade unions make a claim to representing the interests of the immigrant population. Their success depends on their ability to respond to the different structural contexts found in the cities studied. In doing so, it also illustrates how a common national origin does not necessarily result in the construction of a community united through shared opinions, political preferences, cultural practices or social networks.