Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

They do not treat us like humans here: A study of Syrian refugees' integration in Egypt

Berglund, Ylva LU (2016) STVK02 20152
Department of Political Science
Abstract
While the current European integration regime focuses on ‘cultural diversity’ as either a challenge or an asset and takes a assimilative or multiculturalist direction, this paper looks beyond ‘diversity’ and challenges the prevalent perspective. By studying the integration of Syrian refugees in Egypt it aims at finding a new understanding to the integration process, other than one of cultural conflict. Six Syrian and Egyptian community workers are interviewed and a structure-actor analysis is conducted. With the help of scholars such as Sara Ahmed, Étienne Balibar, Engin Isin and Bridget Anderson, three structures are identified: a social structures that constructs the immigrated as Others, a class structure that pushes the immigrated... (More)
While the current European integration regime focuses on ‘cultural diversity’ as either a challenge or an asset and takes a assimilative or multiculturalist direction, this paper looks beyond ‘diversity’ and challenges the prevalent perspective. By studying the integration of Syrian refugees in Egypt it aims at finding a new understanding to the integration process, other than one of cultural conflict. Six Syrian and Egyptian community workers are interviewed and a structure-actor analysis is conducted. With the help of scholars such as Sara Ahmed, Étienne Balibar, Engin Isin and Bridget Anderson, three structures are identified: a social structures that constructs the immigrated as Others, a class structure that pushes the immigrated towards economic exclusion and poverty, and a political structures that pushes the immigrated out of the political, with limited rights and opportunities. The paper finds that a new vocabulary on integration is needed: by perceiving integration as equality, the integration process is to be understood as a political struggle for rights in an unequal society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Berglund, Ylva LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK02 20152
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
integration, othering, racism, structures, equality, Egypt
language
English
id
8513864
date added to LUP
2016-02-02 14:17:55
date last changed
2016-02-02 14:17:55
@misc{8513864,
  abstract     = {{While the current European integration regime focuses on ‘cultural diversity’ as either a challenge or an asset and takes a assimilative or multiculturalist direction, this paper looks beyond ‘diversity’ and challenges the prevalent perspective. By studying the integration of Syrian refugees in Egypt it aims at finding a new understanding to the integration process, other than one of cultural conflict. Six Syrian and Egyptian community workers are interviewed and a structure-actor analysis is conducted. With the help of scholars such as Sara Ahmed, Étienne Balibar, Engin Isin and Bridget Anderson, three structures are identified: a social structures that constructs the immigrated as Others, a class structure that pushes the immigrated towards economic exclusion and poverty, and a political structures that pushes the immigrated out of the political, with limited rights and opportunities. The paper finds that a new vocabulary on integration is needed: by perceiving integration as equality, the integration process is to be understood as a political struggle for rights in an unequal society.}},
  author       = {{Berglund, Ylva}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{They do not treat us like humans here: A study of Syrian refugees' integration in Egypt}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}