Young Adult Migrants’ Social Experiences in Sweden: ‘Melting Pot’ and ‘Salad Bowl’ Perspectives on Social Integration
(2024) In Children & Society- Abstract
- Framed within the social constructionist interpretive phenomenological approach, I explore the perceptions and social experiences of two Arab girls living in Sweden. A phenomenological interpretive analysis was used to examine the unstructured in-depth interviews. The research focuses on the migrants' perceptions of social integration framed as a ‘melting pot’ to a ‘salad bowl’ integration. The ‘melting pot’ is a metaphor for assimilationists' perspectives on integration which means melting down into a new identity while losing oneself. This was expressed as submission, drawing a line of ‘differences’ between ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ integration. Contrary, ‘salad bowl’ is a metaphor for social integration as a process of creating... (More)
- Framed within the social constructionist interpretive phenomenological approach, I explore the perceptions and social experiences of two Arab girls living in Sweden. A phenomenological interpretive analysis was used to examine the unstructured in-depth interviews. The research focuses on the migrants' perceptions of social integration framed as a ‘melting pot’ to a ‘salad bowl’ integration. The ‘melting pot’ is a metaphor for assimilationists' perspectives on integration which means melting down into a new identity while losing oneself. This was expressed as submission, drawing a line of ‘differences’ between ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ integration. Contrary, ‘salad bowl’ is a metaphor for social integration as a process of creating and nurturing social connections that lead to co-existence with trust, reciprocity, and a sense of belonging. I present a two-fold argument connecting social resilience and social integration as the foundation of migrants' social experiences in the host country: (1) the visibility of migrants as ‘beings’ rather than ‘becomings’ should guide the pragmatic approach to integration; and (2) the social and political space for migrants should include their voices and engagement in right-based policies, as well as a shared sense of responsibilities, connectedness, and co-existence. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/7ae6da98-5302-4620-a0b1-dd215b86ce28
- author
- Qamar, Azher Hameed LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-03-26
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- social integration, Migration, social resilience, young adults, Political aspects, Social acceptance, social inclusion
- in
- Children & Society
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85189529138
- ISSN
- 0951-0605
- DOI
- 10.1111/chso.12857
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7ae6da98-5302-4620-a0b1-dd215b86ce28
- date added to LUP
- 2024-03-24 11:27:28
- date last changed
- 2024-04-23 13:46:15
@article{7ae6da98-5302-4620-a0b1-dd215b86ce28,
abstract = {{Framed within the social constructionist interpretive phenomenological approach, I explore the perceptions and social experiences of two Arab girls living in Sweden. A phenomenological interpretive analysis was used to examine the unstructured in-depth interviews. The research focuses on the migrants' perceptions of social integration framed as a ‘melting pot’ to a ‘salad bowl’ integration. The ‘melting pot’ is a metaphor for assimilationists' perspectives on integration which means melting down into a new identity while losing oneself. This was expressed as submission, drawing a line of ‘differences’ between ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ integration. Contrary, ‘salad bowl’ is a metaphor for social integration as a process of creating and nurturing social connections that lead to co-existence with trust, reciprocity, and a sense of belonging. I present a two-fold argument connecting social resilience and social integration as the foundation of migrants' social experiences in the host country: (1) the visibility of migrants as ‘beings’ rather than ‘becomings’ should guide the pragmatic approach to integration; and (2) the social and political space for migrants should include their voices and engagement in right-based policies, as well as a shared sense of responsibilities, connectedness, and co-existence.}},
author = {{Qamar, Azher Hameed}},
issn = {{0951-0605}},
keywords = {{social integration; Migration; social resilience; young adults; Political aspects; Social acceptance; social inclusion}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Children & Society}},
title = {{Young Adult Migrants’ Social Experiences in Sweden: ‘Melting Pot’ and ‘Salad Bowl’ Perspectives on Social Integration}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/chso.12857}},
doi = {{10.1111/chso.12857}},
year = {{2024}},
}