Minoritized citizens' perspectives on political representation

This dissertation examines how minoritized citizens with migration backgrounds in Western Europe experience political representation. While the number of minoritized politicians is gradually increasing, parliaments still fail to reflect society’s diversity. At the same time, debates on immigration, integration, and Islam shape the political landscape. These dynamics raise key questions: how do citizens with migration backgrounds perceive political representation, how do processes of minoritization influence these perceptions, and what opportunities do citizens see to influence political representation? This dissertation argues that examining citizen perspectives allows scholars to critically assess, integrate, and extend existing theoretical models. It highlights the persistent barriers minorities face in achieving equal political influence and shows that a growing number of minoritized politicians does not automatically result in feelings of adequate representation. The study underscores the importance of intersectional analysis in political representation research, providing insights into within- and between-group differences in how citizens want to be represented, in what ways, and by whom.