Migration, political philosophy, and the real world

• Published in: Critical review of international social and political philosophy 2017-11, Vol.20 (6), p.719-725
• Main Author: Fine, Sarah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: David Miller; Immigration; Immigration policy; Migration; Nationalism; Political philosophy; Realism; Strangers
• ISSN: 1369-8230; 1743-8772
• DOI: 10.1080/13698230.2016.1231793

In Strangers in Our Midst, David Miller develops a 'realist' political philosophy of immigration, which takes as its point of departure 'the world as it is' and considers what legitimate immigration policies would look like 'under these circumstances'. Here I focus on Miller's self-described realist methodology. First, I ask whether Miller actually does start from the 'world as it is'. I note that he orients his argument around a particular vision of national communities and that, in so doing, he deviates from a description of 'the real world'. In shifting between the descriptive and prescriptive without clearly acknowledging it, Miller undermines his claim to be outlining legitimate policies 'under these circumstances'. I also question whether Miller's picture of 'the real world' takes sufficient account of past injustice and its ongoing relationship to migration regimes. I maintain that there is a fundamental tension between Miller's commitments to his brand of nationalism on the one hand, and his version of realism on the other hand.