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Settling In? a Case Study of Somalian Refugees Living in Stockholm, Sweden

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Settling In? a Case Study of Somalian Refugees Living in Stockholm, Sweden Settling In? A Case Study of Somalian Refugees Living in Stockholm, Sweden. By Omar Ahmed Salat A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham in fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Social Policy Institute of Applied Social Studies The University of Birmingham United Kingdom December 2010. University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This is a C ase Study of Somalian refugees living in Stockholm, Sweden. The study is based on interviews conducted with twenty-eight Somalis, ten Swedish officials and a focus group interview involving eight other Somalis. The thesis examines respondents’ views about their experiences and perceptions relating to the ‘integration’ of Somalis into Swedish society. The study explores how Somali refugees in Sweden orientate themselves to the prevailing Swedish system of integration. It also aims to identify some of the key factors that impinge upon their (Somalis) socioeconomic and cultural integration into Swedish society. The study reveals that there are a n umber of ‘integrative dilemmas’ confronting Somali refugees in Sweden. These include widespread unemployment; ‘unsuitable’ education; residential segregation; and, institutional discrimination – notably, in the labour market and housing sectors. The study links the inability of Somalis to ‘settle in’ within Swedish society to their ‘divergence’ from the prevailing ‘norms’, particularly in relation to ‘culture’ and ‘religion’. These ‘differences’ reflect the intensity that Somalis attach to family bonds, patriarchal gender role/patterns and their adherence to Islam (the religion most Somalis adhere to). Although there have been a number of investigations concerning immigrant integration in Sweden, this is one of the few detailed in-depth qualitative studies on Somali refugees in Sweden. This research concludes with a number of recommendations and suggestions which may assist with the smooth transition of Somalis refugees into Swedish society. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who have supported me, directly or indirectly, throughout the undertaking of this thesis. First and foremost, I am sincerely and heartily grateful to my supervisor Dr. Robert Page for his scholarly guidance, constructive criticism, enthusiastic encouragements and support at all stages of my work. I would also like to thank my other supervisor Professor Pete Alcock for his effective comments and guidance, particularly, at the initial stages of my research work. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Jan Waterson whose ‘seminars’ at the Institute of applied Social Studies provided me the opportunity to discuss my thesis on numerous occasions. I would also like to thank Pat Wright for ensuring that I received all the practical support I required during my time at the Institute. I am hugely indebted to my wife Nasra for her unreserved love and exceptional care; and to my children (Mohamed, Khalil, Ruweida and Rubina) for their love, innocence and sacrifice throughout my ‘long’ study period. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to my brother, Abdirizak (Mathey), and his family for their love and support. Last but not least, all thanks due to my cousin Adan Maalim Ibrahim without whose support I would not have attained this PhD. Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 The Purpose of the Research ................................................................................................... 2 1.2 The Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Raising the Issues ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 The Outline of this Research .................................................................................................... 7 2 THE ‘CONCEPT’ AND ‘MODELS’, OF INTEGRATION ........................................................................ 12 2.1 What is Integration? ............................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Towards Theoretical Models .................................................................................................. 25 2.3 The Rationale for Choosing these Models ............................................................................. 40 2.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 41 3 THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION IN SWEDEN ............................................................ 43 3.1 Immigration: A Historical Perspective .................................................................................... 43 3.2 Swedish Immigration Policy ................................................................................................... 46 3.3 Integration Policy in Sweden .................................................................................................. 53 3.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 73 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 75 4.1 Qualitative Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 77 4.2 The Research Process ............................................................................................................. 81 4.3 The Data Collection Process ................................................................................................... 88 4.4 Reflexivity ............................................................................................................................... 98 4.5 Analysing the Research Data ................................................................................................ 115 4.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 125 5 EMPLOYMENT (LABOUR MARKET) AND EDUCATION .................................................................. 127 5.1 Unemployment (Rather than Employment) ........................................................................ 127 5.2 Literacy and Education Problems ......................................................................................... 140 5.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 164 6 HOUSING ...................................................................................................................................... 166 6.1 Residential Segregation ........................................................................................................ 166 6.2 The Negative Impact of Residential Segregation ................................................................. 170 6.3 Individual Preference ........................................................................................................... 179 6.4 Socioeconomic Factors ......................................................................................................... 196 6.5 Unintended Consequences from Policy Changes ................................................................. 206 6.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 214 7 INSTITUTIONAL FORM OF DISCRIMINATION ............................................................................... 217 7.1 Conceptualising Discrimination ............................................................................................ 217 7.2 Analysing Discrimination ...................................................................................................... 220 7.3 Perceptions and Experiences of Discrimination ................................................................... 221 7.4 Institutional Discrimination .................................................................................................. 225 7.5 Institutional Discrimination in Swedish Labour Market ....................................................... 225 7.6 Institutional Discrimination in Housing ................................................................................ 249 7.7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 259 8 CULTURE AND RELIGION .............................................................................................................. 261 8.1 Culture .................................................................................................................................
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