Politicising and securitising immigration in Kaïs Saïed’s Tunisia: top-down and bottom-up dynamics

Lorenzo Ghione, investigador predoctoral, Università di Bologna. lorenzo.ghione2@unibo.it. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2044-7091 

This paper examines the interconnected processes of the politicisation and securitisation of immigration in Tunisia under President Kais Saied (2021-present). It holds that the regime’s anti-immigration agenda has arisen from a mutually reinforcing interaction between top-down state strategies and bottom-up mobilisation driven notably by the Tunisian Nationalist Party (PNT). The study highlights how institutional actors and non-institutional forces came together to construct the idea of migration as a threat to security and a central political cleavage. It shows how bottom-up dynamics can shape state agendas and embed securitisation into everyday political life, which underlines the need to rethink conventional frameworks of migration governance, particularly in non-democratic contexts.

Keywords: politicisation, securitisation, Tunisia, migration, Tunisian Nationalist Party, bottom-up dynamic, Kaïs Saïed

How to cite this article: Ghione, Lorenzo. «Politizar y securitizar la inmigración en el Túnez de Kaïs Saïed: dinámicas top-down y bottom-up». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 140 (septiembre de 2025), p. 101-123 DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.101

Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 140, p. 101-123
Cuatrimestral (mayo-junio 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.101

Reception date: 21.01.25 ;  Acceptance date:   09.05.25

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