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Jennylyn Garcia-Cabbuag, University of Santo Tomas, PhilippinesAbstract
Securitization of migration gained prominence due to the Cold War, geopolitical shifts, terrorism incidents, economic competition, the rise of populism, refugee crises, and asylum challenges. McConnachie (2019) highlights that very little research on this has been conducted outside of European and North American contexts. An understudied area is how political culture affects the securitization of migration. This study investigates how political culture, interpreted through Douglas and Wildavsky’s Cultural Theory, shapes Afghan migration to the Philippines in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power. Employing a data triangulation method, the research analyzes publicly available articles from 2021 to 2024, interviews and surveys with Philippine migration stakeholders. The study explores how varying cultural orientations toward authority, risk, and social order influence both institutional responses and civic engagement related to Afghan migration. The analysis of triangulated data illustrates a cultural duality within the Philippine context: hierarchist governance shaping official migration policy and egalitarian civic engagement driving grassroots support. The perceptions of those aiding Afghan migrants, alongside media narratives, suggest a collective rejection of fatalism and authoritarianism often associated with the Taliban regime, and a hope for inclusion in more open political environments. This research positions political culture as a dynamic factor influencing both the facilitation and friction of migration. It contributes to migration and policy literature by applying cultural theory to uncover how competing cultural logics—within the host society—inform migration reception. The study recommends more culturally responsive refugee frameworks and the inclusion of civil society in shaping future policy directions.
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