Identity Processes and Dynamics in Multi-Ethnic Europe (Amsterdam University Press - IMISCOE Reports)

382 Pages·2011·1.61 MB·English

by  Charles Westin

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Globalisation, migration and integration have shaken up identity processes and identity W research
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dynamics as never before. But in a post-colonial, multi-ethnic Europe, what is identity? s
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How is it constructed? This book endeavours to answer these questions and more. in
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Eleven of the thirteen chapters present empirical case studies from the Basque Country, B
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the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Portugal – thus resulting in s
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one of the first international volumes to highlight Portugal’s diverse and complex Identity Processes
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migration flows. Transnationalism also takes centre stage in several contributions that D
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survey various types of informal and formal networks in local communities and across h
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national borders. Via American studies, anthropology, cultural studies, ethnology, n
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history, social psychology and sociology, the authors come from an array of disciplines e
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as dynamic as the continent about which they write.
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Charles Westin is a professor of migration and ethnicity studies at Stockholm University. i
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José Bastos is an associate professor of anthropology at the New University of Lisbon. (
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Janine Dahinden is a professor of transnational studies at the University of Neuchâtel,
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where she is also director of the Center for the Understanding of Social Processes ) Janine Dahinden & Pedro Góis (eds.)
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(MAPS). Pedro Góis is a lecturer in sociology and methodology in the faculty of fine d
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arts at the University of Oporto and a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at n
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the University of Coimbra. ty

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“A welcome addition to current discussions tackling the question: how shall we all live together in Europe? As this c
volume illustrates, there is no one disciplinary approach, nor one single solution. Taken together, these essays advance es
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our collective knowledge about intercultural relations – and perhaps take us some steps towards more positive ways e
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of living together.”
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John W. Berry, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Queen’s University, Canada
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“Combining theories of cultural change, representations, networks and identities, this volume offers an innovative y
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comparison of situated studies. Westin and colleagues provide an outstanding source for students, researchers and
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policy leaders.” m
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Steve Fenton, Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Sociology c
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and Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, University of Bristol, UK in

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“Europe today is a multi-ethnic immigration continent in search of an umbrella identity of identities. This excellent lt
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book is an interdisciplinary eye-opener into these social, cultural and mental dynamics.” -E
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Klaus J. Bade, Chair, Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration, Berlin, Germany h
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 978 90 8964 046 8
   · .. A msterd Am Universit y Press
Identity Processesand Dynamicsin Multi-Ethnic Europe
IMISCOE
InternationalMigration, Integration and Social Cohesionin Europe
The IMISCOE Research Network unites researchers from, at present, 25 institutes
specialising in studies ofinternational migration, integration andsocial cohesionin
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InternationalandEuropeanResearchonImmigration(FIERI),Turin,Italy
MichaelCollyer,SussexCentreforMigrationResearch(SCMR),Universityof
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RositaFibbi,SwissForumforMigrationandPopulationStudies(SFM),University
ofNeuchâtel,Switzerland/InstituteofSocialSciences,UniversityofLausanne
AlbertKraler,InternationalCentreforMigrationPolicyDevelopment(ICMPD),
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LeoLucassen,InstituteofHistory,LeidenUniversity,TheNetherlands
JorgeMalheiros,CentreofGeographicalStudies(CEG),UniversityofLisbon,
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MarcoMartiniello,NationalFundforScientificResearch(FNRS),Brussels/Center
forEthnicandMigrationStudies(CEDEM),UniversityofLiège,Belgium
PatrickSimon,NationalDemographicInstitute(INED),Paris,France
MiriSong,SchoolofSocialPolicyandSociology,UniversityofKent,UnitedKingdom
IMISCOEPolicyBriefsandmoreinformationcanbefoundatwww.imiscoe.org.
Identity Processes and Dynamics
in Multi-Ethnic Europe
edited by Charles Westin, José Bastos,
Janine Dahinden and Pedro Góis
IMISCOE Research
Cover design: Studio Jande Boer BNO,Amsterdam
Layout: The DocWorkers, Almere
ISBN 978 908964046 8
e-ISBN 978 904850 631 6
NUR 741 / 763
©CharlesWestin, José Bastos, Janine Dahinden and Pedro Góis /
Amsterdam University Press 2010
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright
reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form or byany
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the written permission of both the copyright owners and the
authors of the book.
Contents
Preface 7
1 Identityand inter-ethnicrelations 9
Charles Westin
2 Jewsin the Netherlandsand their various tieswith Judaism 53
Marlene deVries
3 Astreetcarnameddesire: lifestyle and identityof street kids in
multi-ethnic Rotterdam 73
Flip Lindo
4 Discrepantperceptions on health and education issues in the
Basque Country:deldicho al hecho… 99
Aitor Ibarrola-Armendariz
5 Are you whoyou know? Anetwork perspective on ethnicity,
gender and transnationalism: Albanian-speaking migrants in
Switzerland and returnees in Kosovo 127
JanineDahinden
6 From local inter-ethnicities to the dynamicsof theworld-system:
identity debates between Portuguese and British Sunnis in
Leicester 149
Susana Bastos
7 Introduction to astudyofcomparative inter-ethnicrelations: the
cases of Portugaland Britain 179
NunoDias
8 Frontier identity in Portugaland Russia: a comparative
perspective on identity-buildingin semi-peripheralsocieties 197
Mário Artur Machaqueiro
6 CONTENTS
9 The Goan elites from Mozambique: migration experiences and
identity narratives during the Portuguese colonialperiod 221
Marta Vilar Rosales
10 Identity,integration and associations:Cape Verdeans in the
metropolitan area of Lisbon 233
João Sardinha
11 Cape Verdeanness as acomplexsocialconstruct: analysis of
ethnicitythrough complexity theory 257
Pedro Góis
12 Different childrenof differentgods: astructural-dynamic
approach to using religion in processes ofdifferentiated
social insertion 279
José Bastos
13 What are we talking aboutwhen we talk aboutidentities? 313
José Bastos andSusana Bastos
Aboutthe authors 359
Index 363
Preface
This volume is the result of a coming together of social scientists repre-
senting different academic traditions, disciplines and countries, and
hence different approaches towards the issues at hand. The book
evolved from workshops occurring within the IMISCOE Network of
Excellence, in a cluster focusing on questions relating to inter-ethnic re-
lations, identity, representation and discrimination. Discussion at these
meetings concentrated on relations between national, ethnic, ‘racial’, re-
ligiousandcultural groupsindiverse multi-ethnicsocieties. Inter-ethnic
relations entail in some instances a focus on majority-minority relations
in the nation-state. In others the focus is rather on relations between a
native-born population and migrants with their descendants. In most of
the current EU-27 member states, inter-ethnic relations apply to both
majority-minorityrelations and to native-born-migrant relations.
The cluster has met ten times since the start of IMISCOE (which as
of April 2009, came to be called the IMISCOE Research Network). At
the second workshop, held in Coimbra in 2004, it was decided that the
subsequent work package would involve writing a book on identity
questions in relation to inter-ethnic relations. At the Paris workshop in
spring 2005, several papers constituting the core of this volume were
presented and discussed. This work continued at workshops in
Osnabrück in 2005, Lisbon in 2006, twice in Vienna in 2006 and in
Stockholm in 2007.
An editorial board consisting of José Bastos, Janine Dahinden, Pedro
Góis and myself was appointed by the cluster at the Osnabrück confer-
ence. The committee met at the cluster workshops and conferences but
also separately in Stockholm in June 2006. Much of the editorial work
was done by email. I would like to thank members of the editorial
board for their work on this volume. Many thanks also to all the contri-
butingauthors.Thanks arealsodueto thoseclustermemberswhohave
not written chapters but have participated in workshops and seminars,
and given input and feedback on papers sent out to them. Finally, let
me express my gratitude to the IMISCOE Editorial Committee, the
anonymous reviewers and their excellent suggestions for reworking sec-
tions ofthe manuscript, Karina Hof and Amsterdam University Press.
Stockholm, January 2010
CharlesWestin

1 Identity and inter-ethnic relations
Charles Westin
Introduction
This volume is about inter-ethnic relations in Europe with special em-
phasis on identity dynamics and identity processes. Here the concept of
inter-ethnic relations comprises a broad range of encounters, between
peopleandgroupsofdiverseorigins,takingplaceincontemporarysocie-
ties. Much of the literature emphasises the problematic dimensions of
theserelations,pertainingtovariousaspectsofsocialexclusion–racism,
discrimination, segregation, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, inequality and
injustice. However, inter-ethnic relations should also be understood to
encompassprocessesofsocialinclusion,referredtoundervarioushead-
ings such as incorporation, insertion, acculturation, assimilation, inte-
gration and even absorption. In other words, inter-ethnic relations may
refer to the rigid preservation of national, cultural and religious bound-
aries between groups and collectives on the one hand, and to processes
of cultural development, innovation and societal transformation on the
other.Broadlyspeaking,inter-ethnicrelationsmaybeunderstoodascon-
cerningfailedorsuccessfulformsofdiversitymanagement.
Social identities are of crucial concern in this context. Collective so-
cial identities stand out and are articulated when groups from different
social, cultural, ‘racial’, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic back-
grounds share societal space in public arenas, in housing estates, at
workplaces and in schools. ‘Race’, ethnicity and nationality are repre-
sented in these identities. In 1915, Durkheim coined the concept of col-
lective representations to refer to these images of self and other
(Durkheim 1982). Half a century later, Moscovici addressed the same
idea (Farr & Moscovici 1978). He referred to these images as social re-
presentations. In this book, we employ the concept of representation in
the Durkheimian sense of collectively shared identities of self and other
or, using the terminology of American social psychology: autostereo-
types and heterostereotypes. The concept of representation may, how-
ever, also be understood as pertaining to issues of power and influence
in political assemblies. This is an important connotation demonstrating
that power, and more specifically the differential distribution of power
in society, is at the heart of identitydynamics.