Sjaak Pappe: Migrants, a blessing in disguise? A cultural perspective.
Huib Wursten:Culture and immigration, the right to have rights, the problem of dirty hands,and the ethics of responsibility
Fernando Lanzer: Culture and Immigration. When tribes need to share territory
Philip Sjögren: The Interplay of Culture in Migrational Patterns: A Swedish Perspective
Dr. Luc Zwaenepoel: Cultural congruency and conformity in the African Diaspora
Pernilla Rorso: The Danish Immigration Paradox – When Ideal Meets Reality.
Editorial:
Six different authors with 6 different perspectives on Culture and Migration are at work in this special of the Culture Impact Journal.
Interestingly, opinions on how far culture is involved in the recent migration waves vary strongly.
Most of the authors agree that looking at a single cultural dimension is not fruitful. It is about the way these cultural factors interact.
One dimension is however the focus of attention. The one Geert Hofstede labeled: “Masculinity versus Femininity”.
Sympathy for and solidarity with the unfortunate and “underdogs” is one of the attributes of “Feminine” societies. The question is why strongly feminine societies like Sweden, Denmark, and The Netherlands are increasingly restrictive in their migration policies.
The answer seemingly is that the concept of “solidarity” is redefined based on experience with recent immigration waves.
All in all, a very diverse special with very different approaches. It goes without saying that the opinions you’ll find in the articles are the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily shared by the editor and publishers.
Sjaak Pappe: Migrants, A blessing in disguise? A Cultural perspective
Synopsis:
This article explores the often-overlooked perspective that migrants bring a multitude of blessings to their host countries, acting as catalysts for cultural enrichment and growth. This narrative challenges preconceived notions surrounding migration and shed light on the transformative power of diverse cultures coming together.
Huib Wursten:Culture and immigration. The right to have rights, The problem of dirty handsand the ethics of responsibility
Synopsis:
The EU is a rule of law-based, democratic project where after centuries of conflict, countries are now trying to find a better way of dealing with very diverse people and living together well in peace and freedom.
For this aim it is absolutely essential to that is that people with a migration background, people in the second and third generation, should absolutely feel at home in Europe and should have equal rights in terms of universalist, liberal enlightenment values.
Fernando Lanzer: Culture and Immigration. When tribes need to share territory
Synopsis
Immigration is a contentious issue because it is linked to archetypical values and emotions at the roots of our tribal ancestry. This is something people enjoy discussing at a superficial level (are they in favor of or against immigration), but it is rather unpleasant to look at when you dive deeper into the underlying values of culture and discover that modern cultures are still driven by tribalism, prejudice, discrimination and racism. This happens across the whole political spectrum from extreme right to extreme left, from conservatives to progressives, and it is linked to Hofstede’s so-called “Fifth Dimension” as it was originally identified and described by Professor Michael Harris Bond. This paper will explore and attempt to explain what lies beneath the roots of cross-cultural misunderstandings, unconscious bias and racist hatred.
Philip Sjögren: The Interplay of Culture in Migrational Patterns: A Swedish Perspective
Synopsis:
This paper looks at what elements of Sweden’s migration policy ca be explained culturally. It postulates that the liberal policies before 2015 can be explained by low masculinity, low uncertainty avoidance, and high indulgence, referring to Hofstede’s 6D model. However, the current shift might be primarily reactionary, influenced by the significant societal impact of mass immigration.
The ensuing sections will delineate the history of migration in Sweden and then analyze the contemporary policy transformation. The hypothesis presented posits that the current policy is a consequence of the increasing polarity between viable government alternatives leaning either right (against immigration) or left (pro-immigration). Thus, the radical policy shift may be more the result of a global trend of governmental polarization than a deeply entrenched cultural phenomenon.
Dr. Luc Zwaenepoel:Cultural congruency and conformity in the African Diaspora
Synopsis:
The natural demographic movement of emigration and immigration is not new and is part of changes in important world demographic data and the national economic planning of services and goods.
Essential types of migrants are guest migrants, seasonal migrant workers, labor migrants, family reunion migrants, climate refugees, war refugees, and Persons of Concern for UNHCR ( refugees, asylum seekers, apatrides, a group under international protection (UN, EU) and International students.
Pernilla Rorso: The Danish Immigration Paradox – When Ideal Meets Reality.
Synopsis:
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes in Danish immigration policy, which has taken place during the past decade.
By applying the framework of ‘cultural dimensions’ (Hofstede et al.,2010) and ‘the mental images of culture’ (Wursten, 2019), the analysis
will show that culture has and continues to play an important role in the country’s immigration policy. At the same time, structural changes
in addition to recent geopolitical events have had significant effects on Danish public policy within this area. The findings in this paper
are relevant for scholars and practitioners in public administration, as well as others interested in the relationship between national
culture and public policy.
