Hoorcolleges Cultural Diversity
Hoorcollege 1 (07-02-2022): migration and the multicultural society
Relevance of cultural diversity
Migration and globalization
- Increased diversity in all current societies
- Diverse perspectives on human development
Diversity in the Netherlands; children and families you will encounter in the field
- Necessity of specific interventions or cultural-sensitive approach?
Specific issues of minorities (i.e., multilingualism, shifting between two cultures,
discrimination).
The study of child welfare, families and education; literature from the U.S.,
England etc.
About 91.000 refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands (about 0.16% of
the world) in 2021.
Majority comes from Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Turkey and Jemen.
During COVID pandemic initial decrease; more influx expected.
Increasing diversity in society
25,3% of the population has a migration background (Western and non-Western,
first and second generation). For children and youngsters <25 years: 28%.
In the four large cities: the Hague 62%, Amsterdam 61%, Rotterdam 58% and
Utrecht 39%.
Migration in the Netherlands
Immigration history In the Netherlands
- Second half of 19th century:
◦ Migration from former Dutch colonies
Surinamese-Dutch and Antillean-Dutch
◦ Migration since 60s as guest workers
Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch
- Since ’00
Labour and economic migrants
◦ Eastern Europe (e.g. Poland, Bulgaria, Romania)
◦ Asia (India, China)
- Fluctuating waves of migration from conflict areas
◦ Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc.
Policy perspective
Until 1980: immigration as temporary phenomenon exclusion?
- Policy focused on temporary accommodation and welfare measures (like in
other European countries)
- Focus on preservation of own culture
Mother tongue teaching in primary school (because they thought they
would go back to their own country).
,1980s: minorities policy
- Drop idea of temporariness (guest workers minorities)
- Multicultural approach preservation of own culture
- Promote participation in society
◦ Economic difficult times high unemployment rate
◦ Participation rates in secondary education drop out
◦ Marginalization
1990s: integration policy
- Mandatory language and integration classes poor quality
- High unemployment and reliance on social policy provisions
- Segregation in society and schools in particular
◦ Pillarized school system Islamic primary schools
- High delinquency rates among certain groups (Moroccan-Dutch youth)
Towards the beginning of 2000 higher employment rates success of second
generation
2000s: policy towards assimilation
- (inter)national events: 0/11, killing of Pim Fortuyn
- Public debate on integration and failure in this
- Changing political discourse Dutch identity
- Culturalization
◦ Growing emphasis on Islam as cause for all problems (killing of van
Gogh)
◦ (fear of) radicalization
◦ Public opinion growing mistrust between Muslim and non-Muslims
◦ Stereotypes on specific groups
- Polarization: growing divide in society
Berry’s acculturation model
What is the best approach?
,Individual perspective:
Integration: people are allowed to speak their own language.
Assimilation: people have to speak the common language. Only speak Dutch.
Integration is the best. Adopting the host culture and the other culture.
- Integration: occurs when individuals are able to adopt the cultural
norms of the dominant or host culture while maintaining their culture of
origin. Integration leads to, and is often synonymous with biculturalism.
- Assimilation: occurs when individuals adopt the cultural norms of a
dominant or host culture, over their original culture.
- Segregation: occurs when individuals reject the dominant or host culture
in favor of preserving their culture of origin. Separation is often facilitated
by immigration to ethnic enclaves.
- Marginalization: occurs when individuals reject both their culture of
origin and the dominant host culture.
Success of Turkish youth across 7 European countries
- Idea of segmented assimilation: more than one way to assimilate
- Role of context
- Failed integration or failing (educational) systems?
◦ Access and participation in early schooling (France vs Germany)
◦ Finding your way in a complicated (educational) system
- Role of social and political discourse
◦ Political discourse political climate, stereotypes and hierarchies
◦ Social discourse acceptance towards immigrants (Amsterdam <
Madrid)
Introduction into theory and terminology
Individualism and collectivism
Based on IBM study in the 60s and 70s organization psychology
4 dimensions for cross-cultural communication:
- Individuealism/collectivism
- Power distance
- Uncertainty-avoidance
- Masculinity-femininity
Adopted in Psychology and research
- But also heavily criticized for postulating an oversimplified dichotomy (see
Voronov and Singer, 2002)
- Cultures vs people
Nevertheless, it provides a starting point…
Context and family systems (Kagitcibasi, 1996)
Introducing a family model in which context (culture and living conditions) is
important for understanding family relations, socialization values and patterns.
, Intergenerational patterns of cultural socialization: independence and
interdependence
Individualism or separateness in Western cultures (independence)
Collectivism or
relatedness in non-Western cultures (interdependence)
Migration from collectivism to individualism
Select groups migrate; different situations
Example initial Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch migration:
- Originate from collectivistic, agrarian societies
- East- and South-Turkey, the Riff mountains in Norhtern-Morocco
Important socialization goals are ‘social and moral virtues’: obedience, respect,
relatedness, decency, modesty:
Hoorcollege 1 (07-02-2022): migration and the multicultural society
Relevance of cultural diversity
Migration and globalization
- Increased diversity in all current societies
- Diverse perspectives on human development
Diversity in the Netherlands; children and families you will encounter in the field
- Necessity of specific interventions or cultural-sensitive approach?
Specific issues of minorities (i.e., multilingualism, shifting between two cultures,
discrimination).
The study of child welfare, families and education; literature from the U.S.,
England etc.
About 91.000 refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands (about 0.16% of
the world) in 2021.
Majority comes from Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Turkey and Jemen.
During COVID pandemic initial decrease; more influx expected.
Increasing diversity in society
25,3% of the population has a migration background (Western and non-Western,
first and second generation). For children and youngsters <25 years: 28%.
In the four large cities: the Hague 62%, Amsterdam 61%, Rotterdam 58% and
Utrecht 39%.
Migration in the Netherlands
Immigration history In the Netherlands
- Second half of 19th century:
◦ Migration from former Dutch colonies
Surinamese-Dutch and Antillean-Dutch
◦ Migration since 60s as guest workers
Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch
- Since ’00
Labour and economic migrants
◦ Eastern Europe (e.g. Poland, Bulgaria, Romania)
◦ Asia (India, China)
- Fluctuating waves of migration from conflict areas
◦ Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc.
Policy perspective
Until 1980: immigration as temporary phenomenon exclusion?
- Policy focused on temporary accommodation and welfare measures (like in
other European countries)
- Focus on preservation of own culture
Mother tongue teaching in primary school (because they thought they
would go back to their own country).
,1980s: minorities policy
- Drop idea of temporariness (guest workers minorities)
- Multicultural approach preservation of own culture
- Promote participation in society
◦ Economic difficult times high unemployment rate
◦ Participation rates in secondary education drop out
◦ Marginalization
1990s: integration policy
- Mandatory language and integration classes poor quality
- High unemployment and reliance on social policy provisions
- Segregation in society and schools in particular
◦ Pillarized school system Islamic primary schools
- High delinquency rates among certain groups (Moroccan-Dutch youth)
Towards the beginning of 2000 higher employment rates success of second
generation
2000s: policy towards assimilation
- (inter)national events: 0/11, killing of Pim Fortuyn
- Public debate on integration and failure in this
- Changing political discourse Dutch identity
- Culturalization
◦ Growing emphasis on Islam as cause for all problems (killing of van
Gogh)
◦ (fear of) radicalization
◦ Public opinion growing mistrust between Muslim and non-Muslims
◦ Stereotypes on specific groups
- Polarization: growing divide in society
Berry’s acculturation model
What is the best approach?
,Individual perspective:
Integration: people are allowed to speak their own language.
Assimilation: people have to speak the common language. Only speak Dutch.
Integration is the best. Adopting the host culture and the other culture.
- Integration: occurs when individuals are able to adopt the cultural
norms of the dominant or host culture while maintaining their culture of
origin. Integration leads to, and is often synonymous with biculturalism.
- Assimilation: occurs when individuals adopt the cultural norms of a
dominant or host culture, over their original culture.
- Segregation: occurs when individuals reject the dominant or host culture
in favor of preserving their culture of origin. Separation is often facilitated
by immigration to ethnic enclaves.
- Marginalization: occurs when individuals reject both their culture of
origin and the dominant host culture.
Success of Turkish youth across 7 European countries
- Idea of segmented assimilation: more than one way to assimilate
- Role of context
- Failed integration or failing (educational) systems?
◦ Access and participation in early schooling (France vs Germany)
◦ Finding your way in a complicated (educational) system
- Role of social and political discourse
◦ Political discourse political climate, stereotypes and hierarchies
◦ Social discourse acceptance towards immigrants (Amsterdam <
Madrid)
Introduction into theory and terminology
Individualism and collectivism
Based on IBM study in the 60s and 70s organization psychology
4 dimensions for cross-cultural communication:
- Individuealism/collectivism
- Power distance
- Uncertainty-avoidance
- Masculinity-femininity
Adopted in Psychology and research
- But also heavily criticized for postulating an oversimplified dichotomy (see
Voronov and Singer, 2002)
- Cultures vs people
Nevertheless, it provides a starting point…
Context and family systems (Kagitcibasi, 1996)
Introducing a family model in which context (culture and living conditions) is
important for understanding family relations, socialization values and patterns.
, Intergenerational patterns of cultural socialization: independence and
interdependence
Individualism or separateness in Western cultures (independence)
Collectivism or
relatedness in non-Western cultures (interdependence)
Migration from collectivism to individualism
Select groups migrate; different situations
Example initial Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch migration:
- Originate from collectivistic, agrarian societies
- East- and South-Turkey, the Riff mountains in Norhtern-Morocco
Important socialization goals are ‘social and moral virtues’: obedience, respect,
relatedness, decency, modesty:
