Leila Hadj Abdou

Part-Time Assistant Professor
Leila Hadj Abdou, is Part-Time Assistant Professor at the Migration Policy Centre at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute. She is in charge of coordinating the EUI’s contribution to the H2020 project “Exploring the Integration of Post-2014 Migrants in Small and Medium-Sized Towns and Rural Areas from a Whole of Community Perspective (WHOLECOMM)”. Previous to this appointment she has already worked for several years at the MPC as a Research Fellow with a focus on migration governance from a global and regional perspective. She currently also holds the position of Lecturer at the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna where she conducts research and lectures in the field of migration, EU, and Austrian politics. Previously she also held academic positions at the Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Sheffield. In addition to her academic positions, she held project manager positions for an NGO in 2016 working with unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, and in an educational centre in 2017 working with adult refugees and refugee care workers. She is editorial board member of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS), and Editorial College Member of the journal Migration Politics. She holds a Ph.D. in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute.
ORCID ID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5355-6286

Books
  • Migration and Mobility in the European Union (with A. Geddes, and L. Brumat)
  • Geddes, Andrew, Vera Espinoza, Marcia, Hadj-Abdou, Leila and Brumat, Leiza, eds. (2019). The Dynamics of Regional Migration Governance. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
  • Hadj-Abdou, Leila, P. Bernhardt, K. Liebhart, and A. Pribersky (2009). EUropäische Bildpolitiken. UTB (EUropean visual politics).

  • Refereed journal articles
  • Hadj-Abdou, L., Pettrachin, A. (2022) Exploring the EU’s Status Quo Tendency in the Migration Policy Field: a Network-Centred Perspective, Journal of European Public Policy.
  • Hadj-Abdou, L., Bale, T. and A. Geddes (2021) The Centre Right in an era of politicization, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, online first
  • Hadj-Abdou, L. and D. Ruedin (2021) The Austrian People’s Party: an anti-immigrant right party?, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, online first
  • Leila Hadj Abdou (2020) ‘Push or pull’? Framing immigration in times of crisis in the European Union and the United States, Journal of European Integration, 42:5, 643-658
  • Hadj Abdou, L. & S. Rosenberger (2019) Contesting the deportation state? Political change aspirations in protests against forced returns, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 42:16, 102-119
  • Hadj Abdou, L. & S. Rosenberger (2019) Party activism: the permeability of the asylum protest arena in Austria, Social Movement Studies
  • Hadj-Abdou, L. and A. Geddes (2017) ''Managing Superdiversity? A discussion of the intercultural policy paradigm. Politics and Policy 45(4): 493-510
  • Hadj-Abdou, L. (2017) 'Gender Nationalism:’ The New (Old) Politics of Belonging'. Austrian Journal of Political Science 46 ( 1 ): 83 – 88.
  • Geddes, A. and L. Hadj-Abdou (2017) 'Changing the path? EU Migration Governance after the Arab Spring'. Mediterranean Politics 23(1): 142-160
  • Hadj-Abdou, L. (2014) 'Immigrant Integration and the economic competitiveness agenda: A comparison of Dublin and Vienna'. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 40 (12): 1875-1894
  • Gresch, N., Hadj-Abdou, L., Rosenberger, S. and B. Sauer (2008) 'Tu felix Austria? The headscarf and the politics of 'non-issues''. Social Politics15 (4): 411-432.
  • Hadj-Abdou, L., (2008) 'Das muslimische Kopftuch und die Ges Eine Frage von Kultur oder Religion?'. Femina Politica1: 68-80. (The Muslim Headscarf and Gender Equality. A question of culture or religion?)
  • Hadj-Abdou, L. and M. Mayrhofer (2006) 'FEMMinistische Politik nach der EU-Erweiterung'. Femina Politica, 1: 58-67 (FEMMinist Politics after the EU enlargement).

  • Book chapters
  • Illiberal democracy and the politicization of migration. In: Sajó, A., Holmes, S. and Uitz, R. (eds.): Routledge Handbook of Illiberalism. Routledge.  (in print)
  • The European Union. From Politics to Politicization. (with A. Geddes) In: Hollifield, J., Martin, P. and Orenius, P. (eds.) Controlling Migration. Stanford University Press.  (in print)
  • Gender und Asyl. (with P. Scheibelhofer) In: M. Berlinghoff, B. Glorius, O. Kleist, T. Scharrer: Handbuch Fluchtforschung. Nomos. (forthcoming)
  • Gender and Religion. In: Heynes, J. (ed.): The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Politics and Ideology. Routledge 2021. 65-77
  • Contested Citizenship: Protest in the Field of Asylum. (first author, with S. Rosenberger). In: Giugni, M. and Grasso, M. (eds.): Edward Elgar Handbook on Citizenship and Migration. Edward Elgar 2021. 317-332
  • North-America: Weak Regionalism, strong borders (2019). In: Geddes, A./Espinoza, M., Hadj Abdou, L. and Brumat, L. (eds.): The Dynamics of Regional Migration Governance. Edward Elgar. 146-165.
  • Migration and Refugee Protection in the Mediterranean (with S. Wolff). In: Volpi, F. and Gillespie, R. (eds.): Routledge Handbook on Mediterranean Politics. Routledge 2018. 382-399.
  • An Unstable Equilibrium: Freedom of Movement and the Welfare State in the European Union. (with A. Geddes) In: Freeman, G. and Mirilovic, N. (eds.): Handbook of Migration and Social Policy. Edward Elgar 2016. 222-238.
  • The Europeanization of Immigration Policies. In: Amelina, A., Horvath, K. And B. Meeus (eds.): International Handbook of Migration and Social Transformation in Europe. Springer 2016. 105-119.
  • The Religious Conversion of the Austrian Populist Right. In: Roy, O., McDonnell, D. and Mazouki, N. (eds.):  Saving the People: How Populists Hijack Religion. Hurst 2016. 29-45.
  • Racism in Europe. A Challenge for Democracy. In: Ünver Noi, A. and Toperich, S. (eds.): Challenges for Democracy in the European Union and its Neighbours. The Brookings Press 2016. 25-44.
  • Europe’s Rio Grande: (Im)mobility in the Mediterranean. In: Toperich, S. and Mullins, A. (eds.): The Mediterranean. Civil Society Perspectives. The Brookings Press 2016. 115-138.
  • Islam at Issue. Anti-Islamic Mobilization of the Extreme Right in Austria (with S. Rosenberger). In: Jenkins, B., Godin, E. and Mammone, A.: Varieties of Right-Wing Extremism in Contemporary Europe. Routledge. 149-163.
  • Geschlechtergleichheit oder Recht auf kulturelle Differenz? Die Politisierung der Frage von Geschlechtergleichheit, eine Herausforderung für egalitäres Denken (“Gender equality or the right to cultural difference? The politicization of the question of gender equality, a challenge for egalitarian thinking”). In: Hausbacher E. et al. (eds.): Migration und Geschlechterverhältnisse (Migration and Gender Relations). Springer VS 2012. 41-61.
  • Hijabophobia revisited: Kopftuchdebatten und –politiken in Europa (“Hijabophobia revisited: Headscarf Debates and – Policies in Europe”) (with N. Gresch, S. Rosenberger, B. Sauer).  In: Hausbacher, E. et al. (eds.): Migration und Geschlechterverhältnisse (Migration and Gender Relations). Springer VS. 198-212.
  • Auf den Spuren des Hades. Auswirkungen des arabischen Frühlings auf die europäische Migrationskontrolle (“On the Trail of the Hades. Effects of the Arab Spring on European Migration Control”). In: Österreichisches Zentrum für Frieden und Konfliktlösung (ed.): Zeitenwende in der arabischen Welt (Transformation in the Arab World). LIT. 160-80.
  • Limits of Populism. Accommodative Headscarf Policies in Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands (with B. Siim, S. Rosenberger, S. Saharso). In: Rosenberger, S. and Sauer, B. (eds.): Politics, Religion and Gender. Routledge 2012. 132-149.
  • Muslim Women’s Participation in the Veil Controversy: Austria and the UK Compared (with L. Woodhead). In: Rosenberger, S. and Sauer, B. (eds.): Politics, Religion and Gender. Routledge 2012. 186-204.
  • Women´s Mobilization in Conflicts over Female Muslim Covering: A Chance for the Well-Being of Women?. In: Bonvin, J-M., Renom, M. and Woodward, A.E. (eds.): Transforming gendered well-being. Ashgate 2011. 213-230.
  • “Kopflose Kopftuchträgerinnen?“ Implikationen zur Hierarchisierung von Gleichheitsimperativen in kontemporären feministischen Diskursen. (“’Headscarf-women without a head?’ Implications of the production of hierarchies of equality imperatives in contemporary feminist discourses”) (with N. Gresch) In: Sauer, B. and Strasser, S. (eds.): Zwangsfreiheiten. Multikulturalität und Feminismus. Promedia 2008. 97-113.
  • The commemoration of May 2005: The sixty years celebration of the end of WWII – A mirror of conflicting memories? (with K. Liebhart) In: Findor, A., Wahnich, S. (eds.): Political Memory in the European Union. LIT 2008. 93-113.
  • Integrationsunwillig? Zum Verhältnis von Migrationsforschung und politischer Praxis. (“Not willing to integrate? About the relation of migration research and political practice”e) In: Fröschl, E., Kramer, H. and Kreisky, E. (eds.). Politik Beratung. Zwischen Affirmation und Kritik. Braumüller 2007. 183-196.
  • The Role of National Parliaments in EU Affairs. A comparative view on Austria and Hungary. (with S. Kurtán) In: Ágh, A. (ed.): Post-Accession in East Central Europe. The Emergence of the EU. Hungarian Centre for Democracy Studies 2004. 153-174.

  • Reports and Working Papers:
  • Safeguarding the Integrity of the Asylum System and the Moral Rights of Rejected Asylum Seekers: A Conditional Right to Remain. Working Paper Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies 2021. (with Eszter Kollar).
  • From the Migration Crisis to the New Pact on Migration and Asylum: The Status Quo Problem. Working Paper BRIDGE/UCD 2021.
  • The state of play of Schengen governance. An assessment of the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism in its first multiannual programme. Study requested by the LIBE Committee (with Martin Wagner, Caitlin Katsiaficas, Josephine Liebl, Lenka Drazanova, and Julien Jeandesboz), 2020.
  • High skilled policy and Indian high skilled migrants on the Austrian labor market, 2013.

  • Blogs and Newspaper Articles
  • Can Rwanda Be the Solution? Europe’s Cooperation on Migration With Third Countries. Migration Policy Centre Blog. 2022.
  • Who is a refugee? Understanding Europe’s diverse responses to the 2015 and the 2022 refugee arrivals. Mobile People & Diverse Societies blog.
  • Explaining the remarkable shift in European responses to refugees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. LSE European Politics and Policy blog.
  • More Politicization, More Externalization: EU Migration Governance 7 Years After the Crisis. DCU Bridge Blog. 2022.
  • A Coordinated Effort to Free Up Mobility Is Vital for Continued Economic Recovery. Blog, Global Mobility Report 2022, Q1.
  • From “bogus” asylum seekers to “genuine” refugees; shifting discourses and attitudes towards Afghan migrants (with. A. Pettrachin). The University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) Blog, 2021.
  • From the Migration Crisis to the Pact on Migration and Asylum: The Status Quo Problem. DCU Bridge Blog. 2021.
  • Us versus them? Covid-19 and its effects. Migration Policy Center Blog. 2020.
  • A reset of the European Union’s approach to migration? (with. A. Geddes). Dahrendorf Forum Blog. 2019
  • Migration studies. From dehumanizing to decolonising. (with K. Vanyoro and H. Dempster). LSE Higher Education Blog. 2019.
  • Fighting myths about immigration? Facts and evidence are not enough Migration Policy Center Blog. 2019.
  • Global Compact for Migration: what is it and why are countries opposing it? (with M.Espinoza Vera and L. Brumat). The Conversation Blog.  2018.
  • Lockdown at the Rio Grande. The Conversation Blog 2014.
  • Economies Will Continue to Rely on Migration Post Pandemic. Global Mobility Report blog Q4. 2021.