Collective Identity And Integration Policy In Denmark And Sweden

This book discusses the interrelationship between practices of collective self-interpretation, in this case national identity construction, and integration policies, using the example of Denmark and Sweden. Though both countries are considered to be socially progressive and modern, not least by themselves, the author makes the novel and provocative argument that both Denmark and Sweden are caught in a (discourse) paradox when it comes to integration policy, which stands in the way of successful immigrant integration. The author uses an innovative approach to reconstruct the Danish and the Swedish national identity by using social studies schoolbooks and novels as research material, thereby adding an interdisciplinary dimension to the book. About the author Marilena Geugjes is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany. She earned her doctorate in Political Science at Heidelberg University. Her research focuses on migration and integration policy, local politics, and the role of the police. .

This book discusses the interrelationship between practices of collective self-interpretation, in this case national identity construction, and integration policies, using the example of Denmark and Sweden. Though both countries are considered to be socially progressive and modern, not least by themselves, the author makes the novel and provocative argument that both Denmark and Sweden are caught in a (discourse) paradox when it comes to integration policy, which stands in the way of successful immigrant integration. The author uses an innovative approach to reconstruct the Danish and the Swedish national identity by using social studies schoolbooks and novels as research material, thereby adding an interdisciplinary dimension to the book. About the author Marilena Geugjes is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany. She earned her doctorate in Political Science at Heidelberg University. Her research focuses on migration and integration policy, local politics, and the role of the police.

The four Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, have all held referenda on their relationship to the European Union in the 1990's. These referenda catalysed heated debates: should Finland and Sweden give up neutrality? Should Denmark follow the European Union's move towards higher degrees of integration? And, had there been enough change in Norway to reverse the rejection of European Community membership in 1972? These key questions about the future of European integration are addressed in this highly topical book by examining the crucial role played by national identity.

Integration and New Limits on Citizenship Rights is a state-centered analysis of citizenship, immigration and social identity. It explores the increasing role of nation states as critical actors in using social policy to affect the social location of immigrants and ethnics and also to redefine what it means to be a full citizen.

Diversity, inclusion and citizenship are highly contested concepts. This book sheds light on how the traditionally homogeneous welfare-states of Scandinavia struggle to develop as democratic societies in the globalisation era. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, migration from all parts of the world continues to challenge the idea of social citizenship—highly endorsed in the Scandinavian tradition. The volume brings new perspectives on immigration and integration strategies employed by the three countries, and their consequences for social and political relations. Presenting in-depth analyses, based on up-to-date empirical data, the 19 authors scrutinise a number of dilemmas related to diversity and inclusion in multicultural societies. Exploring tensions in terms of rights and obligations, participation and identity, the chapters provide new insights into the complexity of majority-minority interaction, political traditions and democratic legitimacy. Drawing on case studies as well as comparative analyses, the authors present new and original empirical findings, and they also offer important theoretical contributions to general social science discourses. Taken together the chapters provide an indispensable source, not only for those seeking to understand the current trends in Scandinavian integration policies, but also for those who are generally interested in issues of diversity, inclusion and citizenship.

This book analyzes contemporary changes in immigration and integration policy in the wake of populism and rise of right-wing parties across the world. It examines how, in the face of substantial migratory flows, rising security concerns regarding immigration, and a refugee crisis of unprecedented levels, member states of the European Union have responded by calling for restrictive immigration policies, border patrolling, and intensified integration programs. Focusing on Denmark and Sweden, the volume employs a unified theoretical framework to look at how internal political debates, institutional patterns, constitutional frameworks, and political competition are key to a systematic explanation of immigration and integration policy changes in Europe. This volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of migration and diaspora studies, public policy, politics and international relations, sociology, and social anthropology, as well as government officials, think tanks, and policymakers.

Contributors include Peter Abrahamson (University of Copenhagen), Peter A. Hall (Harvard), Ulf Hedetoft (University of Aalborg), Lars Bo Kaspersen (Copenhagen Business School), Peter J. Katzenstein (Cornell University), Morten Kelstrup (University of Copenhagen), Ove Korsgaard (Danish University of Education), Peer Hull Kristensen (Copenhagen Business School), Per Kongshøj Madsen (University of Aalborg), Cathie Jo Martin (Boston University), Kevin H. O'Rourke (Trinity College Dublin), Uffe Østergård (University of Aarhus), and Hjalte Rasmussen (University of Copenhagen).

This volume includes chapters by junior and senior scholars hailing from Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania, all of whom sought to understand the social and cultural implications surrounding how people take responsibility for the ways they speak or write in relation to a place—whether it is one they have long resided in, recently moved to, or left a long time ago. The contributors to the volume investigate ‘responsibility’ in and through language practices as inspired by the roots of the (English) word itself: the ability to respond, or mount a response to a situation at hand. It is thus a ‘responsive’ kind of responsibility, one that focuses not only on demonstrating responsibility for language, but highlighting the various ways we respond to situations discursively and metalinguistically. This sort of responsibility is both part of individual and collectively negotiated concerns that shift as people contend with processes related to globalization.