Pluralities and Pines: An Exploration of Immigrant Integration in the Catalonian Forest Sector
(2019) SGEM08 20191Department of Human Geography
- Abstract (Swedish)
- As migrations from within and outside of Europe continue to increase steadily, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the integration of immigrant populations is one of the most pressing issues faced by many European countries. Although there is significant research on immigrant integration in urban areas, the settlement and integration of immigrants in rural areas is largely understudied, even as growing populations seek work in forestry and agriculture in rural and peri-urban environments.
This research project seeks to explore the perceived barriers and enablers to integration for immigrants within the Catalonian forestry sector. I engage an iterative conceptual framework to emphasize the relationship between existing,... (More) - As migrations from within and outside of Europe continue to increase steadily, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the integration of immigrant populations is one of the most pressing issues faced by many European countries. Although there is significant research on immigrant integration in urban areas, the settlement and integration of immigrants in rural areas is largely understudied, even as growing populations seek work in forestry and agriculture in rural and peri-urban environments.
This research project seeks to explore the perceived barriers and enablers to integration for immigrants within the Catalonian forestry sector. I engage an iterative conceptual framework to emphasize the relationship between existing, foundational literature and empirical data I gather through a case study in rural and peri-urban areas of Catalonia, Spain. Finally, I operationalize my findings from interviews with forest sector employers and foreign workers across transversal economic, social, and spatial dimensions.
My findings show that the work permitting process, as well as the low economic and social valuation of forestry labor were the main barriers, while employment and the existence of settled immigrant communities were the most salient enablers to immigrant integration in the Catalonian forest sector. The results of this research could be central to informing forest users, policymakers, and future research on topics of immigrant integration policies and the role of immigrant labor in the forest sector. Furthermore, this research demonstrates the importance of transdisciplinary research in rural immigration studies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8980214
- author
- Feder, Sarah LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SGEM08 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Immigration, Integration, Social Inclusion, Labor, Rural Development, Forest Management, Catalonia
- language
- English
- id
- 8980214
- date added to LUP
- 2019-06-10 09:35:35
- date last changed
- 2019-06-10 09:35:35
@misc{8980214,
abstract = {{As migrations from within and outside of Europe continue to increase steadily, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the integration of immigrant populations is one of the most pressing issues faced by many European countries. Although there is significant research on immigrant integration in urban areas, the settlement and integration of immigrants in rural areas is largely understudied, even as growing populations seek work in forestry and agriculture in rural and peri-urban environments.
This research project seeks to explore the perceived barriers and enablers to integration for immigrants within the Catalonian forestry sector. I engage an iterative conceptual framework to emphasize the relationship between existing, foundational literature and empirical data I gather through a case study in rural and peri-urban areas of Catalonia, Spain. Finally, I operationalize my findings from interviews with forest sector employers and foreign workers across transversal economic, social, and spatial dimensions.
My findings show that the work permitting process, as well as the low economic and social valuation of forestry labor were the main barriers, while employment and the existence of settled immigrant communities were the most salient enablers to immigrant integration in the Catalonian forest sector. The results of this research could be central to informing forest users, policymakers, and future research on topics of immigrant integration policies and the role of immigrant labor in the forest sector. Furthermore, this research demonstrates the importance of transdisciplinary research in rural immigration studies.}},
author = {{Feder, Sarah}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Pluralities and Pines: An Exploration of Immigrant Integration in the Catalonian Forest Sector}},
year = {{2019}},
}