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Rethinking 'Us' & 'Them': Integration and Diversity in Europe
Samah Al Jundi-Pfaff
14. juil. 2017 16:25 heures
Chapitre 3 › Journal Assignment for Chapter 3:
What does 'integration' mean to you?
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What does 'integration' mean to you?
Tell us: What does 'integration' mean to you?
In this chapter, we've provided you with a fundamental understanding of the various facets of integration and how the debate and approaches vary in Europe and Canada. While it's important to understand how governments manage (or don't manage) this process, integration is something that doesn't start and stop with policy. That's why we have included views from those working in the field, either supporting or circumventing integration policy, as well as voices from the public to get a taste for how people actually understand this term and what ideal they wish for in their societies.
Now, the 'Us' & 'Them' course community wants to hear from you:
Here are some guiding questions to draw from:
- What do you think of Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan's four fields of integration (structural, social, cultural, identificative), and which do you feel are emphasized most in your society?
- Would you prefer to see integration as a top-down, bottom-up, or another directional process?
- What ways do your societies and governments support or not support integration and multiculturalism (e.g. through resources like integration courses or symbolically through representation)?
- Who in your societies needs integrating, from your point of view? Does integration stop with refugees and immigrants?
- How do you think we can best measure integration? What counts most (e.g. numbers, personal encounters, building networks)?
- Where do you think Europe is headed when it comes to integration? Do you think Europe can learn something from the Canadian example?
Now what?
Click 'Start in Journal', and fill out the entry. How you do this is up to you: You can use just words, or add pictures or links to articles or videos to highlight your point!
Is this journal assignment required?
No! Nothing in our course is 'required', and there are no grades, but we encourage you to reflect on these topics and share if you feel comfortable, so that others in the course can benefit from your experiences.
Integration Measurement
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How do you think we can best measure integration? What counts most (e.g. numbers, personal encounters, building networks)?
When we agree that integration is a process and it is the task of people who live together and 'do life', our tools of measurement will be different.
Numbers doesn't work! I asked my friend about a post on her Facebook account which got remarkably high number of 'Like', surprisingly, she has no idea what it is about. I got so curious to know more about numbers and statistics. Frankly speaking, reading about valid numbers, participants bias, valid argument, population variance, symmetric distribution, self-selection...... is confusing!
Personal encounter and building network need time and effort. Integration means saying Hallo to people while I am biking! Now the bikers of Eschwege start replying back. Integration means visiting Johannsfest and going to Werratalsee to live although some of my German friends want me to drink beer and eat bratwurst!!!! One day, they will learn that alcohol and pork have nothing to do with integration.
Do you think that writing this journal is a kind of personal encounter and building network? If Yes, add me to the number of people who integrated well!!!
"One day, they will learn that alcohol and pork have nothing to do with integration." Great line, Samah. Sounds like you are your own integration-ambassador. ;)