Family Migration and Integration: <i>The Need for a New Research Agenda</i>

Abstract

This article investigates the link between family migration and integration. It is based on a literature review of existing research across the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, focusing on examples from Denmark and Norway. Much of the existing literature on family migration and integration analyses legal changes and policy arguments. Focusing on literature about integration and regulation outcomes, we identify the following two dominant topic areas in existing academic work: (1) empirical studies of labour market integration outcomes for family migrants-some limited to focusing on intra-marriages-and (2) research about the consequences of family immigration regulations. The article highlights the need for a new research agenda that moves beyond studies of intra-ethnic marriages and labour market participation to include all groups of family migrants and diff erent dimensions of integration. Moreover, it should analyse long-term eff ects of family migration regulations, as well as postentry regulations and social structures.

Engendering Integration and Inclusion

“…Adrian Favell (2019) proposes a series of 12 propositions to rethink the utility of 'integration' as a concept, given that it is deeply embedded in methodological nationalism and by extension produces colonial, nation-state centred visions of societies while sustaining inequalities and orders of social power hierarchies (Anthias & Pajnik, 2014;Korteweg & Triadafilopoulos, 2013). In the next section we explore in greater depth how integration policies have been framed in the past two decades (Eggbø & Brekke, 2019), highlighting the key role of gender and sexuality in othering non-Western populations and regulating their family practices.…”

Family Migration

“…While earlier research focused on family reunification of migrants and co-ethnic marriages, more recent research has turned to how family migration policies define the acceptable family and permissible intimate relationships (Bonizzoni, 2018a, b), which includes a range of family members and familial and kin relationships, but also other affective relationships (e.g., love and marriage, parenting of children, and parental care) (Groes & Fernandez, 2018;Mai & King, 2009). Migrants benefitting from family migration regulations are expected to demonstrate they have the capacity to be productive, comply with acceptable cultural practices, and not be a burden on the welfare state (for a review of family migration and integration see Eggbø & Brekke, 2019). Integration policies have tended to represent family migrants as relatively homogeneous and often 'transferring' traditional cultural and social practices, yet, in reality, they come from many different countries and reflect an increasing global mobility that has extended intimate relationships (Wagner, 2015).…”

Å bruke erfaringene til nyankomne mannlige syriske flyktninger til å utfordre den store norske integreringsfortellingen

“…Disse snakker imidlertid om at de når som helst kan bli «byttet ut», og ei heller slike relasjoner ser altså ut til å oppleves som trygge. Dermed ser alle mennene Fadil har intervjuet, familiegjenforening som en avgjørende mulighet for å kunne etablere familie i Norge, noe som gjør egen lønnsinntekt veldig viktig (Eggebø og Brekke 2018). Mange snakker som om livene deres står på vent, og mye av dette handler nettopp om selvforsørgelsens betydning for familieetablering.…”