Migrants' Integration in Western Europe: Bridging Social Psychology and Political Science

Scuzzarello, Sarah

doi:10.1002/casp.1100

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Or could we examine the impact of policy and political discourse on the construction of identity, the nature of intergroup interactions and the patterns of social recognition? Oddly, there are few studies on the role of the institutionalised context of social psychological phenomena (although there are some important exceptions, see Haste, 2004; Scuzzarello, 2012). However, a rigorously contextual analysis would need to place this alongside everyday constructions of identity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Identity, Citizenship and Immigration: Putting Identity in Context

Andreouli¹,

Howarth²

2012

J Theory Soc Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper we suggest that there is a need to examine what is meant by 'context' in Social Psychology and present an example of how to place identity in its social and institutional context. Taking the case of British naturalisation, the process whereby migrants become citizens, we show that the identity of naturalised citizens is defined by common-sense ideas about Britishness and by immigration policies. An analysis of policy documents on 'earned citizenship' and interviews with naturalised citizens shows that the distinction between 'elite' and 'non-elite' migrants is evident in both the 'reified' sphere of policy and the 'common sense' sphere of everyday identity construction. While social representations embedded in lay experience construct ethno-cultural similarity and difference, immigration policies engage in an institutionalised positioning process by determining migrants' rights of mobility. These spheres of knowledge and practice are not disconnected as these two levels of 'managing otherness' overlap -it is the poorer, less skilled migrants, originating outside the West who epitomise difference (within a consensual sphere) and have less freedom of mobility (within a reified sphere). We show that the context of identity should be understood as simultaneously psychological and political.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Identity, Citizenship and Immigration: Putting Identity in Context

Andreouli¹,

Howarth²

2012

J Theory Soc Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the case of integration, arguably, we are seeing a similar process at work: local understandings can invoke a range of widely divergent notions of integration towards different and competing ends. The current study illustrates how research may explore the relationships between social psychology and political science, in the sense identified by Scuzzarello (), by analysing how politically important notions, such as ‘integration’, are negotiated within social interaction. Overall, these analyses suggest that researchers, policy makers and practitioners would benefit from being alive to the rhetorical implications of integration typologies as well as the typological implications of integration rhetoric.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Their analysis illustrated that even ‘liberal’ texts on integration incorporated illiberal assumptions, such as portraying migrants as ‘the problem’, relying on a ‘deficit model’ that positions migrants as being inferior and ultimately placing the ‘blame’ for any alleged lack of integration on the migrants themselves. A subsequent study by Scuzzarello () highlighted how integration can be treated as relating to political participation or intercultural contact, with these different discourses supporting different political agendas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Some People It's Very Difficult to Trust’: Attributions of Agency and Accountability in Practitioners' Talk About Integration

Kirkwood

McKinlay

McVittie

2013

Community & Applied Soc Psy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The concept of ‘integration’ plays an important role in policy and practice regarding the settlement of migrants, yet the term is used in a variety of ways. This article examines how practitioners who support the integration of refugees in Scotland construct ‘integration’ at the community level to justify or challenge particular policies and sets of social relations. Analysis shows that integration can be worked up in contexts involving (i) descriptions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ in relation to a single community, (ii) social inclusion of those in multiple communities, or (iii) group level intercultural contact. Each version of integration is bound up with different attributions of agency for advancing integration and attributions of blame for current problems. Instead of relying upon a concept that is so open to multiple uses, local organizations might usefully specify outcomes in terms of social actors and interactions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

“…Scuzzarello () however calls for a more radical approach in the way that social psychologists think about social identity, by drawing on theories from political science in order to gain a greater understanding of the “emotional and cognitive consequences of increased diversity” (p. 1). Scuzzarello illustrates her argument by case studying the municipal governments of Bologna, Italy and Malmo, Sweden in their attempts to better integrate migrants.…”

Section: Social Categories Culture and Power Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Psychology, Consumer Culture and Neoliberal Political Economy

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Consumer culture and neoliberal political economy are often viewed by social psychologists as topics reserved for anthropologists, economists, political scientists and sociologists. This paper takes an alternative view arguing that social psychology needs to better understand these two intertwined institutions as they can both challenge and provide a number of important insights into social psychological theories of self-identity and their related concepts. These include personality traits, self-esteem, social comparisons, self-enhancement, impression management, self-regulation and social identity. To illustrate, we examine how elements of consumer culture and neoliberal political economy intersect with social psychological concepts of self-identity through three main topics: 'the commodification of self-identity', 'social categories, culture and power relations' and the 'governing of selfregulating consumers'. In conclusion, we recommend a decommodified approach to research with the aim of producing social psychological knowledge that avoids becoming enmeshed with consumer culture and neoliberalism.Key Words: consumer culture, decommodification, neoliberalism, political economy, selfidentity. 1 The following analysis draws on material from the authors' book on social psychology and consumer culture (McDonald & Wearing, 2013). Consumer Culture & Neoliberal Political Economy 2 IntroductionConsumer culture has become a significant phenomenon in Western societies. Consumer items are viewed as "important and valuable in their own right" so that many people's lives revolve around the consumption of products, services and experiences that are mediated by the market (Ritzer, 2007, p. 164). As societal institutions, consumer culture and neoliberalism set many of the rules that both constrain and empower social behaviour (Binkley, 2014; Campbell, 2001; King & Pearce, 2010;Rose, 1996;1999), they provide society with "patterned, organised, and symbolically-templated 'ways of doing things'" (Jenkins, 2000, p. 10).Given the important role that consumer culture and neoliberalism play in people's lives, it stands to reason that these two institutions be analysed in relation to self-identity as 'social influence', broadly defined, is one of social psychology's main areas of research. Social psychology's reluctance to engage with societal institutions like consumer culture and neoliberalism is likely due to a perception that these are topics reserved for anthropologists, economists, political scientists and sociologists. In line with Parker (2015), we argue that engaging with insights across the broader social sciences can provide social psychology with a theoretical understanding of contemporary cultural, political and economic trends effecting society.Research on consumer culture in social psychology has typically taken a microsocial perspective, examining consumer behaviours such as product choice and decision making by focusing on individual social cognitions (e.g. Bagozzi, Gurhan-Canli & Priester, 2002; Kardes...

show abstract

Migrants' Integration in Western Europe: Bridging Social Psychology and Political Science

Cited by 20 publications

References 41 publications

National Identity, Citizenship and Immigration: Putting Identity in Context

National Identity, Citizenship and Immigration: Putting Identity in Context

‘Some People It's Very Difficult to Trust’: Attributions of Agency and Accountability in Practitioners' Talk About Integration

Social Psychology, Consumer Culture and Neoliberal Political Economy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About