Ethno-Cultural or Normative Community? Petitions to Public Authorities as a Space for Political Claims on Migration and Ethnic Diversity

The article examines petitions submitted to Polish authorities between 2015 and 2025 concerning policies on migration and ethnic diversity. Petitions are an opportunity to articulate claims not only among citizens but also among immigrants from various groups interested in political participation. Petitions provide a space for political claims and a forum for negotiation, within which two models emerge: an ethno-cultural community model and a normative community model. This dichotomy can be described as the opposition between a liberal society based on international regulations and economic competitiveness, and a conservative society based on shared values, language and culture. According to the liberal normative community model, citizenship is not a decisive category of community belonging. On the other hand, the petitioners promoting a community based on ethno- cultural foundations often refer to the concept of citizenship as a legal status that should differentiate access to various services and rights provided by the state.