Description
One of the challenges of current research on integration and acculturation strategies is in translating these desired socio-psychological outcomes into respective policy measures. In this context, considering the political aspects of the inclusive integration context is crucial. The main research objective of this project is to study the political and socio-psychological determinants of inclusiveness in the migrant adaptation context, as well as their interdependencies. While the project focuses on the adaptation of Russian migrants in Estonia and Norway, it also includes a broader comparative perspective that seeks to understand the determinants of the inclusive integration context in other countries. A comparative dimension will be realized via the link between the current project proposal and the international MIRIPS network (“Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies”), led by John W. Berry. We are cooperating directly with research teams from Norway, Finland and Russia. University of Bergen will contribute professionally in developing theoretical framework of the project (knowledge of local state of affairs) and data analysis.
Summary of project results
One of the challenges of the state of the art research on acculturation strategies and integration policies in Western democracies is in translating desired socio-psychological outcomes into effective policy measures. Considering the political aspects of the inclusive integration context is of crucial importance. This research project has studied both the political and socio-psychological determinants of inclusiveness in the migrant adaptation context. The key results of the project have to do both with theoretical and methodological innovation as well as with analysis based on the project data. An academic added value of the project consists in the fact that the project has proposed and implemented an innovative theoretical model, by combining political and socio-psychological aspects of acculturation into a unified theoretical framework. It is expected that the theoretical model and empirical findings will generate new synergies in wider academia. The main findings of the project are: - On the level of the two nations was found that their different histories and levels of interethnic polarization have a major impact on positioning strategies and adaptation outcomes both on the levels of inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic relations; - The empirical analysis reveals that the more polarized the intercultural context, the stronger the tendency to construct the ‘other’ in terms of divisive intercultural boundaries; - The main factors behind the tendency to construct divisive intercultural boundaries have to do with lower socio-economic and cultural status of the so-called ‘ethnocentric’ segments within both the minority and majority groups. The project helped to advance the understanding of how immigrants and receiving societies negotiate with one another, and how the expectations and judgments of the receiving society toward the immigrant group constrain the acculturation options available to the immigrant group. In the Estonian data, the perceived status of the Russian immigrants appeared to predict their acculturation orientations. The concept of “asymmetrical acculturation” is an important product of this collaboration. Receiving societies have much more power than immigrants do, so the relationships between immigrants and the societies that receive them are not on equal ground. The greater the asymmetry between the immigrant group and the receiving society, the more difficult an integrated cultural identity may be to create and maintain.
Summary of bilateral results
Partnership has been essential in achieving the project’s objectives during all the phases of the work carried out. The theoretical innovation of the project was initially proposed by the Estonian partner, the Norwegian partner contributed by adding a developmental psychology perspective to the relational acculturation model. The Estonian partner has first carried out pilot studies for preparation of the questionnaire and focus group interviews, the Norwegian team followed the line and contributed by bringing in the Norwegian experience and perspective. The Norwegian partner has organized a major international conference in Bergen in June 2015, which played a very important role in the development of the project as both partners presented their preliminary results and received feedback from MIRIPS network colleagues. Writing of the articles has been carried out in close cooperation between the partners. For example, the country chapters for Estonia and Norway to the Cambridge University Press volume mentioned above were written in co-authorship between the partners. Dissemination of the results among stakeholders has been carried out in close cooperation between the partners (for example, events related to the final conference of the project in Tallinn in November 2016). The researchers have received positive feedback from public officials from both countries regarding the knowledge transfer of research methods and good practices of governance in multicultural societies, which will contribute to informed decision-making regarding integration policies in both countries.