The Swiss Refugee Parliament: Contesting Otherhood to Gain Political Voice

The call for meaningful participation of refugees in democracies and decision-making processes is intensifying. This shift, moving away from the traditional model of refugee support provided by nonprofit organizations to one centered on self-help initiatives led by refugees, has sparked the formation of new organizations that aim to empower refugees by giving them a voice and enabling their participation.

In this context, the Refugee Parliament was established in Switzerland in 2021. In an expressive way, this parliament connects refugees while also seeking to exert influence on politics and public opinion. In doing so, it adheres to principles of refugee autonomy, solidarity, and responsibility, positioning itself as an alternative organization.

The literature on alternative organizations highlights that organizational alternativity forms a normatively desired counterpoint to a dominant, conventional model, suggesting that organizations could be constructed differently from what is commonly known and expected. However, neo-institutional theory has revealed the influence of shared expectations and common beliefs that drive organizational homogenization.

Using qualitative data, I examine the role of institutionalized beliefs pertaining to organization in the early formation of the Swiss Refugee Parliament. While the Refugee Parliament initially appears as a counterpoint to conventional parliaments, findings reveal that it mimics traditional parliamentary structures, adopting rationalized and hierarchical organizing methods, which are commonly considered atypical for alternative organizations, as a necessary means to achieve a political voice. Yet, the Refugee Parliament offers an unsettling counterpoint to traditional nonprofits by rejecting the institutionalized and well-esteemed notion of “otherhood”—that is, advocating for the interests of other actors (Meyer 2010).

My contribution sheds light on an alternative organization that constructs its alternativity by challenging the prestigious concept of otherhood prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Organizing refugee participation, therefore, can be seen as a contested rejection of the institutionalized belief in advocating for marginalized others.