Reactive Cosmopolitanism: Migrants’ Attachment to the European Union as a Response to Social Exclusion

ABSTRACT In times of globalisation, digitalisation and increasing interconnectedness, cosmopolitan belonging becomes more important. Although cosmopolitan migrants are often considered a privileged group within migrant populations, we argue that their cosmopolitan belonging can also result from being socially excluded—a dynamic we term reactive cosmopolitanism. Using unique probability‐based panel data on Germans living abroad, we explore the extent to which their attachment to the European Union changes in response to growing perceptions of social exclusion and ethnic discrimination. We find original empirical evidence supporting the existence of reactive cosmopolitanism. The trend is moderate yet discernible across various subgroups, including migrants residing in non‐EU countries and those considered more cosmopolitan by virtue of migration experience, higher education and occupational status and a more open personality. These results suggest that cosmopolitan belonging cannot simply be reduced to expressions of privilege, prosperity or openness but can also reflect a compensatory response to social rejection.