Política demográfica de España

Coming of age in Spain: the self‐identification, beliefs and self‐esteem of the second generation1

“…These results indicate that, along with strong identification with the country as ‘theirs’, most native‐born children of immigrants tend to hold a rather dim view of their future opportunities in it. The relatively recent entry of Spain into the ranks of the developed world and its poorer labour market opportunities, relative to richer Western European countries and the USA, may arguably be a reason for these perceptions (Cachón 2009).…”

“…Since joining the European Common Market and subsequently the European Union, the country experienced a sustained process of economic growth that brought it into the ranks of the developed world. As a result, labour out‐migration not only ceased but reversed itself leading to the return of millions of former emigrants (Cachón 2009; Calavita 2005). Since the early 1990s, Spain has found itself in the unexpected role of recipient of major migration flows, initially from nearby Morocco, and subsequently from Latin American countries, Eastern Europe, and even Asia (Carvajal and Isabel 2006).…”

“…Since the early 1990s, Spain has found itself in the unexpected role of recipient of major migration flows, initially from nearby Morocco, and subsequently from Latin American countries, Eastern Europe, and even Asia (Carvajal and Isabel 2006). As a result, the foreign‐born population grew by leaps and bounds and, by 2008, it had reached 5.6 million, or close to 12 per cent of the total (Observatorio Permanente de la Inmigración 2009; Cachón 2009). The figure is very close to the proportion of foreign‐born in the US population (12.5 per cent), despite the much shorter period of Spain‐bound migration – scarcely twenty years.…”

“…Not being traditionally a country of immigration, Spain was ill‐prepared to guide the incorporation of its new immigrants and, especially, their offspring. The arrival of this young population into the schools and the streets has been accompanied by much uncertainty and considerable anxiety among Spaniards about what the phenomenon portends for their future (Cachón 2009; Aparicio and Tornos 2008). Journalistic articles about the growth of Latin youth gangs or the danger of Islamic fundamentalism among young Moroccans and other second‐generation Muslims have proliferated, while the national government and those of the country's autonomous regions ( comunidades ) have rehearsed numerous policies seeking to integrate immigrant children into the schools and avoid early, but disturbing signs of downward assimilation (Sotelo 2005; Diez Nicolas 2006).…”

“…This paper examines these issues in a new country of immigration – Spain – on the basis of a large and representative sample of second generation youths in its two major cities, Madrid and Barcelona. The growth of the foreign‐born population in Spain has been remarkable in recent years, turning the country into one of the major recipients, in absolute and relative terms, of immigration to major Western European countries (Cachón 2009; Pajares 2009). A surging population of immigrant children and children of immigrants in Spain offers a distinct opportunity to test hypotheses about youth identities and self‐esteem developed primarily on the basis of data from the USA and other Anglophone countries.…”