Borders of Solidarity: Socialist Parties, Cultural Difference, and Global Migration, 1880-1914

This project, funded by the Dutch Research Council NWO with its SSH Open Competition XS call, redefines the history of socialist responses to migration, transcending Eurocentric perspectives. Synthesizing labour, migration, and ‘whiteness’ studies, the research challenges simplistic economic explanations, uncovering the racialized aspects of solidarity within socialist internationalism between 1880 and 1914. The project explores how socialist perspectives on migration in Western Europe were influenced by racist labour movements in Australia, South Africa, and the Americas, arguing that anti-Asian campaigns in South Africa and the Pacific had a deeper impact on Europe than previously acknowledged. This transnational perspective aims to deepen historical understanding while offering valuable insights into contemporary debates on migration and integration.