ABSTRACT
This chapter situates the analysis of the main case being studied in the broader discursive and socio-political context of the Netherlands, and the City of Rotterdam. It begins with a brief discussion of recent Dutch immigration history, focusing in particular on the kinds of dominant stories about immigration that circulate in Dutch society today. It also discusses the broader emergence and phenomenon of anti-asylum seekers' centre (AZC) protests from 2015 onwards. Next, it provides a historical and contemporary description of the City of Rotterdam, focusing in particular on how the four macro factors outlined by mobilization theory (material/cultural grievances, institutional/discursive opportunity structures) are manifested in the context of the city. It also provides a short background description of the neighbourhood on which the study focuses, providing the reader with an understanding of the local challenges present in the area, prior to the arrival of asylum seekers. Finally, it describes the case under study, namely, the conflict that emerged as a result of the construction of an AZC in the local space of the Beverwaard neighbourhood.
