Lecture 3 Flashcards
Integration and assimilation; acculturation model
The way in which migrants fear and migrates into a new society.
Main assimilation theories
- Classis assimilation theory; large body of work, focus on migrant groups becoming similar to natives
- Segmented assimilation theory – no unified culture to assimilate to (Portes & zhou, 1993)
- -> Society diverse and segmented (racial underclass)
- -> Different groups to assimilate to, three paths of assimilatoin
- ‘Straight-line assimilation’ (upward mobility)
- Downward assimilation
- ‘Selective acculturation’
- New Assimilation theory (Alba & Nee, 1997)
- -> Social and cultural distance to mainstream (national-majority) group decreases, life chances of migrants and descendants grow similar to dominant group peers in simlar socio-economic positions
Integration dimensions
Structural integration; How the individual is positioned in social strata (employment, education)
Socio-cultural integration; identification with the country of residence, language proficiency and usage of host country language, and more social contacts with people without a migration background.
Willem Schinkel 2013: Immigrant integration intertwined with images of what the national society is and who it belongs to
- An example/imagination of what we actually want the national society to be (‘Clearly demarcated (Dutch) Society
Main issue with conceptualization of integration & measurement of integration
1.Essentialization of culture;
Integration perpetuates essentialism
Assumes a perpetual cultural entity
Generalizes actions of individuals to the group, and reduces the group to the individual
e.g. An entire group is held morally responsible for actions of a minority within that group
Main issue with conceptualization of integration & measurement of integration
2. The unintegrated as outside of society
Integration (of lack thereof) as marker of ultimate otherness
- The unintegrated are not seen as part of society, and their problems are not problems of society, but as lack of integration in society.
Overview and summary
Integration: a reflection of what a national society sees itself as being
Splitting society in two;
–> The actual society and the outside of society
Perpetuated in public discourse and research
Normative
Goals: examine the assumptions of what we study; We can still study how people react to host society, but how?
Superdiversity (Vertovec, 2007)
- increased diversity in ethnic groups, within the groups, and in forms of diversity (gender, education, age, cohorts, migration generations)
Integration as a concept assumes a bounded, essentialist culture toward which to integrate
- Superdiverse context; what is the culture that one integrates to?
Shift in research
Classic assimilation and integration research: bounded ethnic groups integrating toward one bounded culture
Superdiversity challenges assumptions; no clear majority group to assimilate or integrate to
Shift in research (Crul, 2015)
Interplay of various factors within the groups, and other forms of diversity (gender, age, cohort, generation)
Culture one integrates toward
Context of host society: migrants in countries with more inclusive institutional support show outcomes closer to the national majority group
People without a migration background have not been studied within integration research.
Integration assumes two-sided adaption while in practice, there is assimilation mostly.
- Integration research is mostly focused on migrants
- Societal discourse is focused on migrants
Society is shared by the various groups, especially in superdiverse contexts.
People with a migration background
Integration assumes two-sided adaption
- -> In practice assimilation; integration research is mostly focused on migrants
- -> Societal discourse focused on migrants
Society is shared by the various groups, especially in superdiverse contexts
Using integration outcomes people
without a migration background show negative integration outcomes
Changing integration contexts and groups; people without a migration background and the BAM project
Becoming a Minority: BAM project
How do people without a migration background react to diversity when liviing in superdiverse contexts?
Interdisciplinary, comparative, and multimethod research project
Six majority-minority cities
Turns around the question of integration
How people without a migration background integrate into a superdiverse, diffuse culture where no group dominates.
Local minorities and national majorities
Nonetheless, integration, remains unsymmetrical
Superdiversity a local phenomenon
Minority locally, majority nationally
Position of power despite numerical minority/superdiverse context
In BAM survey, most people without a migration background (72%) don’t feel like a minority
Overview and summary
Change in context & Group that integrates
Change in context :
Superdiversity: no clear group to integrate toward
Culture of diversity
More attention interplay individual and group characteristics
Group that integrates:
Traditional focus on migrants
People without a migration background share superdiverse contexts
Different reactions to living/integrating in a superdiverse context
People without a migration background still dominant
Integration outcomes
People without a migration background usually have fewer friends of different ethnic backgrounds than people of ethnic background.
Integration remains unsymmetrical:
Superdiversity a local phenomenon
Minority locally, majority nationally
Position of power despite numerical minority/superdiverse context
in BaM survey, most people without a migration background (72%) do not feel like a minority
BaM project: Becoming a Minority
ow do people without a migration background react to diversity when living in superdiverse contexts?
Interdisciplinary, comparative, and multimethod research project
Six majority-minority cities
Turns around the question of integration
How people without a migration background ‘integrate’ into a superdiverse,
diffuse culture where no group dominates
So, there has been a change in context due to several factors:
superdiversity: no clear group to integrate toward
culture of diversity
more attention interplay individual and group characteristics
Group that integrates:
Traditional focus on migrants
People without a migration background share super diverse contexts
Different reactions to living/integrating in a superdiverse context
People without a migration background still dominant
