Philosophies of integration? Elite views on citizenship policies in Scandinavia

Abstract

Research on the ‘civic turn’ in European citizenship policies suggests that concerns over immigrant integration have fueled the restrictive development of citizenship policies in recent decades. However, few efforts have been made to explore the normative ideas underlying this development. Departing from Favell’s (1998) influential concept of ‘philosophies of integration’, this article draws on elite-interviews with top-level bureaucrats, politicians and citizenship experts in the Scandinavian countries and explores how ideas about nationhood and integration have influenced the divergence in citizenship policies in the region, and what overall purpose the policy-changes reflect. We find that, especially in Denmark, the gradual introduction of ever more demanding civic integration requirements appears to be a part of the broader aim of controlling the inflow of migrants and not to enhance the integration of those already present in the country. Conversely, the Swedish liberal approach to citizenship, which regularly has been analyzed as a steppingstone to societal integration, might in reality have been a reflection of benign neglect. In Norway, immigrant integration has clearly been part of the underlying rationale for changes in naturalization requirements, yet the control dimension have played an increasingly important role. These findings suggests that, although the citizenship institution remains important in nation states’ efforts to solve their ‘ethnic dilemmas’, the underlying rationale behind policy-change is more multifaceted than previously understood.

The consequences of nationalism: A scholarly exchange

“…Ideational nationalism models are typically measured through interviews with the political and bureaucratic elite, and we can speak of an existing ideational national model when we observe a relatively high degree of agreement among national actors (Brochmann & Midtbøen, 2021). The idea is to measure the dominant understanding of nationhood or more generally the ‘philosophies of integration’ (Favell, 1998) that reflect the societal consensus of how to draw national boundaries.…”

Neighboring Countries, Worlds Apart? : Explaining the Swedish-Danish Difference inImmigration-Integration Policy

“…Still, as many scholars have noted, the Swedish experience of post-War immigration seems to have resulted in a remarkably quick and relatively painless shift toward a political and civic conception of the nation, whereas the Danish reaction to the same phenomenon has been more strained and prone to reinvigorate ethnocultural identities (Brochmann and Seland 2010;Schall 2016, Midtbøen 2015. While Swedish national identity seems to have developed into a late/post-modern and post-ethnic -and perhaps more private and anemic (Fernández 2019) -version that clashes less with diversity, Danish national identity remains intact or even, some would argue, increasingly reactionary and excluding (Brochmann and Midtbøen 2021). The presumed effect is two distinct models of migrant incorporation, Swedish multiculturalism versus Danish assimilationism.…”

“…In contrast to the Swedish policy of free choice and mutual adaptation, the Danish one is usually described as pervasive and one-sided with a stronger focus on majority culture and values (Jensen et al 2017, Brochmann and Midtbøen 2021, Mouritsen and Olsen 2013. There is a stronger tendency to enforce integration through limitations of induvial choice, for example in settlement options and residential deconcentration of co-ethnics, and greater willingness to ensure the priority of a leading national culture ("leitkultur"), for example through officially sanctioned culture canons and knowledge requirements (Tawat 2012, Mouritsen 2013.…”

The Danish Turn Towards Dual Citizenship

“…71 The Liberal spokesperson on the Naturalisation Committee, Jan E. Jørgensen, who put forward the citizenship revocation argument, is a "genuine liberal", 72 while Inger Støjberg who, in 2015, became Minister for Immigration and Integration, has a national-conservative approach and several viewpoints similar to aid to dual citizens who are released from their Danish citizenship within a two-year periodin particular, dual citizens who were born and raised in Denmark have felt offended by being offered financial support for "repatriation". 70 The argument is repeated in Brochmann and Midtbøen (2020). 71 For more information about the Danish political parties and especially the Liberals see https:// www.yourdanishlife.dk/the-rules-of-the-game-the-danish-political-system-for-beginners/ and https://www.thelocal.dk/20190510/the-locals-guide-to-denmarks-election-parties-part-onethe-right 72 Author of the book, A Genuine Liberal (in Danish: En AEgte Liberal), accessible here https://www.…”