Immigration And The Transformation Of Europe

A uniquely comprehensive analysis of the nature of immigration and migration within and between European and non-European countries. It explains how Europeans are beginning to grapple with immigration as it relates to demographic, institutional, economic, social, political and policy issues.

A uniquely comprehensive analysis of the nature of immigration and migration within and between European and non-European countries. It explains how Europeans are beginning to grapple with immigration as it relates to demographic, institutional, economic, social, political and policy issues.

The contributions of this book examine contemporary dynamics of migration and mobility in the context of the general societal transformations that have taken place in Europe over the past few decades. The book will help readers to better understand the manifold ways in which migration trends in the region are linked to changing political-economic constellations, orders of power and inequality, and political discourses. It begins with an introduction to a number of theoretical approaches that address the nexus between migration and general societal shifts, including processes of supranationalisation, EU enlargement, postsocialist transformations and rescaling. It then provides a comprehensive overview of the political regulation of migration through border control and immigration policies. The contributions that follow detail the dynamic changes of individual migration patterns and their implications for the agency of mobile individuals. The final part challenges the reader to consider how policies and practices of migration are linked to symbolic struggles over belonging and rights, describing a wide range of expressions of such conflicts, from cosmopolitanism to racism and xenophobia. This book is aimed at researchers in various fields of the social sciences and can be used as course reading for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses in the areas of international migration, transnational and European studies. It will be a beneficial resource for scholars looking for material on the most current conceptual tools for analysis of the nexus of migration and societal transformation in Europe.

In the space of around ten years Ireland went from being a traditional labour exporter to a leading European economy, and thus an attractive destination for immigrants from Eastern Europe and further afield. This produced a singular social laboratory, which this book explores in all its complexity set against the backdrop of globalization. Until recently seen as a showcase for the success of globalization, Ireland also became a destination for those displaced by the effects of globalization elsewhere. Globalization, Migration and Social Transformation takes Ireland as a paradigmatic case of social transformation, exploring the reasons why emigration was so rapidly replaced by immigration, along with the social, political, cultural and economic effects of this shift. Presenting the latest research around the themes of identity, social transformations and EU and Irish politics and policy, this book offers a rich array of detailed empirical case studies drawn from Ireland, which shed light on the experiences of immigrant groups from around the world and the wider processes of social transformation. In addition, it examines the manner in which the Irish state and the broader political system relate to new migrants and vice-versa, thus advancing our comparative understanding of how the European Union is responding to the challenge of mass migration. Globalization, Migration and Social Transformation makes a strong contribution to the comparative literature on immigration and integration, diaspora and social transformation in the era of globalization, and as such, it will appeal to social scientists with interests in migration, race and ethnicity, globalization and Irish studies.

In this rich study, Roxana Barbulescu examines the transformation of state-led immigrant integration in two relatively new immigration countries in Western Europe: Italy and Spain. The book is comparative in approach and seeks to explain states' immigrant integration strategies across national, regional, and city-level decision and policy making. Barbulescu argues that states pursue no one-size-fits-all strategy for the integration of migrants, but rather simultaneously pursue multiple strategies that vary greatly for different groups. Two main integration strategies stand out. The first one targets non-European citizens and is assimilationist in character and based on interventionist principles according to which the government actively pursues the inclusion of migrants. The second strategy targets EU citizens and is a laissez-faire scenario where foreigners enjoy rights and live their entire lives in the host country without the state or the local authorities seeking their integration. The empirical material in the book, dating from 1985 to 2015, includes systematic analyses of immigration laws, integration policies and guidelines, historical documents, original interviews with policy makers, and statistical analysis based on data from the European Labor Force Survey. While the book draws on evidence from Italy and Spain in an effort to bring these case studies to the core of fundamental debates on immigration and citizenship studies, its broader aim is to contribute to a better understanding of state interventionism in immigrant integration in contemporary Europe. The book will be a useful text for students and scholars of global immigration, integration, citizenship, European integration, and European society and culture.

Includes statistics.

This volume of the latest research in European migration embraces a continent-wide outlook on migration processes and accounts particularly from Southern and Eastern European perspectives. This is accomplished by analyzing the long-term transition that countries undergo from net emigration to net immigration, as well as developments in their migrant inflows, integration, and policy. The mix of authors—representing several academic centers across Europe yet pursuing a common vision of European migration past, present, and future—utilize new empirical evidence, specially designed and collected.