Opis: Identity, Belonging and Migration

This volume addresses the question of migration in Europe. It is concerned with the extent to which racism and anti-immigration discourse has been to some extent normalised and 'democratised' in European and national political discourses. Mainstream political parties are espousing increasingly coercive policies and frequently attempting to legitimate such approaches via nationalist-populist slogans and coded forms of racism. "Identity, Belonging and Migration" shows that that liberalism is not enough to oppose the disparate and diffuse xenophobia and racism faced by many migrants today and calls for new conceptions of anti-racism within and beyond the state. The book is divided into three parts and organised around a theoretical framework for understanding migration, belonging, and exclusion, which is subsequently developed through discussions of state and structural discrimination as well as a series of thematic case studies. In drawing on a range of rich and original data, this timely volume makes an important contribution to discussions on migration in Europe. Edited by internationally renowned scholars in the field, and featuring contributions from academics from various parts of Europe, this collection of essays looks at issues relating to migration across the continent. Focusing on the somewhat slippery concept of identity, the essays address a range of issues relating to racism and anti-immigration discourse. Divided into three parts, the text comprises of sections on (1) Theoretical perspectives on belonging, (2) Institutional forms of discrimination, and (3) Cases of belonging and exclusion. In the Introduction, the editors set the scene for the subsequent essays by highlighting the emergence of new kinds of racism in European societies. Here, they note that racism in Europe is on the increase and that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are positioned as the new 'Others' in a range of discourse. This 'new' racism is perceived as being less overtly racist than previous forms, and it focuses more on social characteristics, cultural incompatibilities and differences. By looking at contemporary issues through the lenses of identity and belonging, this work critically assesses the dynamic and contested nature of migration in Europe. The first substantive section, on the theoretical perspectives on belonging, is for me the strongest part of the book. Here, as Wodak's chapter makes explicit, there is a widespread use of discourse focusing on a (re)creation of 'us' and 'them'. As Stuart Hall has noted, it is precisely because identities are constructed within, and not outside of, discourse that we need to understand them as produced in specific sites with specific discursive formations. Strath's chapter provides a good conceptual underpinning for the subsequent sections by highlighting the ways in which new borders are key to understanding Europe today. Of particular relevance here is the shifting dynamic between the past and the present that shapes not only our notions of the past but represents 'a fundamental crisis in our imagination of alternative futures' (p. 26). Contemporary identities are as much about 'routes' as they are 'roots', hereby demonstrating the shifting nature of identities in an increasingly globalised world. The section on institutional forms of discrimination highlights the exclusionary discourses and practices of states and their institutions. Here, subjects such as human rights and labour markets are used to identify how and where issues of discrimination emerge. Hanauer's contribution on non-place identity in Britain is a particularly interesting analysis of time and place in the nation-state. By developing an overview of non-place identity, the author argues that place does not have to be the primary source for identity construction. Instead it is argued that personal interests and functions should be placed more firmly at the centre of discussions of migrant identities. This is an interesting point for work on collective identities which has historically focused on issues of similarity, whilst analyses of individual identities have tended to look at notions of difference. The last of the three sections includes four thematic discussions of belonging and exclusion. It contains chapters on polarisation and social closure in Madrid schools and another on the transformation of 'Dutchness'. Kamali's concluding chapter considers issues of discrimination, belonging and migration within 'post-colonial' European nationstates. Here, the strong denials of racism on the part of powerful and dominant groups reinforce structural inequalities. The author concludes by noting that deeper knowledge of the 'institutionalized mechanisms of discrimination' is needed in order to 'combat racism and discrimination and monitor social cohesion' (p. 308). As with many edited collections, there are some subjects that appear throughout the text and other areas that the reader would like to see developed further. There are also topics that are not included in the work that would seem to fit well into the discussion presented. Of course, it would be impossible to touch upon all relevant issues in such a wide-ranging subject, although one area that would seem to lend itself well to discussions of identity and belonging is sport. Sport is notably absent from any of the discussions, despite the massive increase in the migration of athletes between European countries (and beyond) and the importance of sport for further understanding the interplay of a range of identities. Here, it is not only issues related to conceptualisations of the nation and a sense of belonging that migrants may experience through sport, but also, perhaps even more pertinently, in light of the discussions put forward in the collection, the role of sport as a tool in social inclusion/exclusion. Yet this is not to take away from what is a very interesting and informative collection of essays that highlight the many ways in which issues of racism and discrimination shape the lives of migrants in twenty-first-century Europe. This text certainly contributes to the body of work highlighting the contested and multi-dimensional nature of identities. In contemporary times, identities are less conceived as stable, fixed and unproblematic and are better understood as being fluid, contingent and relatively unfixed. Dealing with something as contentious and problematic as identities in Europe today makes this book a valuable and timely contribution to the literature. The Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Volume 17, Issue 3 2009 Dealing with something as contentious and problematic as identities in Europe today makes this book a valuable and timely contribution to the literature. The Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Volume 17, Issue 3 2009 Issues of identity, belonging and exclusion, nationalism, nationhood and nation building are at the forefront of social and political inquiry. The two books under review here, while different in their respective aims, both add to the literatures on these issues of everyday import. The authors and editors investigate complex socio-political relationships in differentiated policy arenas with the discussions theoretically engaging historical and cultural experiences that bear on the practicalities presented in respective case studies. There is a remarkable overlap in the two books, which uncover several weaknesses and fallacies associated with taken for-granted positions. By applying universalistic frameworks, they draw upon comparative, discursive and institutional practices in exploring implications of social and public policies. Their conclusions appear channelled for the potential mitigation of real problems seen in the social and political economies of tension filled cross-cultural societies. With identity, Belonging and Migration, Delanty et al. have successfully created an intellectual brand. The editors reinforce the need for a 'politiAcknowledgements List of Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction: Migration, Discrimination and Belonging in Europe Gerard Delanty, Paul Jones and Ruth Wodak I. Theoretical Perspectives on Belonging 1. Belonging and European Identity Bo Strath 2. Identity, Belonging and Migration: Beyond Constructing 'Others' Paul Jones and Michal Krzyzanowski 3. 'Us' and 'Them': Inclusion and Exclusion - Discrimination via Discourse Ruth Wodak 4. Dilemmas of Secularism: Europe, Religion and the Problem of Pluralism Gerard Delanty II. Institutional Forms of Discrimination 5. Racism, Anti-Racism and the Western State Alana Lentin 6. What Space for Migrant Voices in European Anti-Racism? Cagla E. Aykac 7. Multiculturalization of Societies: The State and Human Rights Issues Irene Bellier 8. Towards a Theory of Structural Discrimination: Cultural, Institutional and Interactional Mechanisms of the 'European Dilemma' Tom R. Burns 9. On Institutional and Agentic Discrimination: Migrants and National Labour Markets Helena Flam 10. Non-Place Identity: Britain's Response to Migration in the Age of Supermodernity David Ian Hanauer III. Cases of Belonging and Exclusion 11. Symbolic Violence Helena Flam and Brigitte Beauzamy 12. Voices of Migrants: Solidarity and Resistance Lena Sawyer (with Paul Jones) 13. Transformations of 'Dutchness': From Happy Multiculturalism to the Crisis of Dutch Liberalism Marc de Leeuw and Sonja van Wichelen 14. Competent vs. Incompetent Students: Polarization and Social Closure in Madrid Schools Luisa Martin Rojo Conclusion: Discrimination as a Modern European Legacy Masoud Kamali Index

Szczegóły: Identity, Belonging and Migration

Tytuł: Identity, Belonging and Migration
Wydawnictwo: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 9781846316890
Rok wydania: 2011
Ilość stron: 256
Oprawa: Miękka
Waga: 0.5 kg

Recenzje: Identity, Belonging and Migration