The Myth of Failed Integration: The Case of Eastern Oslo

Abstract

In this article we examine the dominant assumptions that immigrant youth living in the working‐class suburban areas in Oslo, Norway are marginalized and angry. We argue that there is no proof that immigrants living in the Oslo suburbs are alienated from society. Nor do we see any indications of some form of mobilization among this group. This dominant assumption is linked to a larger misperception about “ghettos” in Oslo. The idea, that there are “immigrant ghettos” in Oslo, has similarities with, and draws on public debates about “immigrants” in other European cities and a broader international scholarly discourse. In this paper we show that teenagers and young adults in the most materially deprived areas in Oslo are not socially isolated, but actively participate in crucial mainstream institutions and arenas. We show that these youths have ideals, values, and ambitions that closely duplicate those of most Norwegian teenagers and young adults. We conclude therefore, that the young people labeled as “immigrants” are not only integral members of Norwegian society, but co‐producers of it.

Teaching for democracy: Transformative learning theory mediating policy and practice

“…There are several approaches to teaching democratic citizenship in Scandinavian schools, such as an emphasis on school subjects (Solhaug & Børhaug, 2012), deliberation (Englund, 2015(Englund, , 2016Løvlie, 2006), multiculturalism (Andersen & Biseth, 2013), cosmopolitism (Kemp, 2005 and Bildung (Korsgaard 2005), to mention some of the main contributions. One commonality among these contributions is that they involve discussions and theorisations from a Scandinavian point of view.…”

Meta-governance and the segregated city: difficulties with realizing the participatory ethos in network governance – evidence from Malmö City, Sweden

“…The latter may be stated as deliberate efforts aimed at encouraging other actors to become engaged in collaborative governance, along with increasing pluralism and deliberation by means of the active involvement of NGOs, private companies, citizens, and policy recipients (Larsson 2017(Larsson , 2019Agger and Poulsen 2017). We should bear in mind, however, that the project of reforms in Malmö provides a difficult test for meta-governance in that it is a well-known fact that immigrants, ethnic minorities, and those who are socio-economically disadvantaged rarely participate either in formal political institutions, or in informal governance structures (Andrew 2009;Hertting 2009;Dekker et al 2010;Parés, Bonet-Martí, and Martí-Costa 2012; see also Andersen and Biseth 2013).…”

Marginality and banality in the segregated city: Reflections on the ‘riots’ in Oslo

“…The suburbs to which these anthropologists refer are located in the outer eastern parts of Oslo. These housing estates have long been associated with challenging living conditions, working-class housing and, since the 1990s, 'non-western immigrants' (Andersen and Biseth, 2013).…”