Wednesday 11 June 2014
CEDEM, University of Liège
In the context of the 7FP Training Network “Integration and international migration: pathways and integration policies”, the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) and the University of Liège organized their second scientific thematic workshop of the work package 2 on citizenship and political participation.
The workshop, “Multicultural Policies in Federated Entities,” started with an introductory speech given by Marco MARTINIELLO, director of the CEDEM. For those outside of the network he reviewed the INTEGRIM network objectives and highlighted the purposes of the meeting.
The first goal of the workshop was to address the links between citizenship and multiculturalism from a particular perspective but looking at the policy dimension. It also examined and compared policies designed and implemented to manage immigration related cultural diversity in a sample of federated entities of several European and non-European federal countries. The contributions focused on three main issues: Language diversity, religious diversity and artistic diversity. The second goal of the workshop was to give INTEGRIM Early Stage Researchers the opportunity to discuss the papers of senior researchers on the one hand, and on the second hand, to present their dissertation project and its advancements.
The program was therefore organized as follows: a morning session chaired by the director of CEDEM, Marco MARTINIELLO, with several presentations of senior researchers followed by an afternoon session, chaired by Sonia GSIR (CEDEM) to finish the presentations on different European and non-European federal countries. The program concluded with a special PhD student session.
Presentations
- Lesleyanne HAWTHORNE from the University of Melbourne made a presentation via Skype on Multiculturalism in Australia – Strategic Approaches to Managing Linguistic, Religious and Artistic Diversity. She explained the evolution of immigration and multicultural policies in Australia and the current debates and focused her presentation on 3 strategies: managing linguistic, religious and artistic diversity. She received comments and questions from Shannon DAMERY (CEDEM, INTEGRIM ESR).
- Gianni D’AMATO from the University of Neuchatel presented the immigration history of Switzerland and the differences in managing diversity at the cantons level in a presentation entitled A Multicultural Country without Multicultural Policies? The case of Switzerland. His speech was followed by a discussion from Jean-Michel LAFLEUR (CEDEM).
- From the Expert Council of German Foundations on Migration and Integration, Caroline SCHULTZ presented how Germany has dealt with cultural diversity. She focused on two Länder in particular (Bavaria and Berlin) and highlighted the differences in their approaches despite the fact that they are located in the same country. The title of her presentation was Managing Cultural Diversity in Federal Germany: Bavaria and Berlin as Classic Antagonists? Costica DUMBRAVA from the University of Maastricht opened the debates with his comments and questions.
- In her presentation, Managing Cultural Diversities in Spain: The Effects of Transnational Migration on Regional Cultural Policies, Monica IBAÑEZ (University of Burgos) focused on diversity from “within” and diversity from “without.” She discussed Spain’s many regional identities that already struggle with, or against, cohesion and how this matter becomes more complex when also considering diversity created by migration. Her presentation was followed by a discussion and questions from Anastasia BERMUDEZ (CEDEM).
- Victor ARMONY from the UQAM (Montreal) presented his paper on Diverging Policy Approaches to Diversity in Canada: Québec and English Canada. He showed in particular how the province of Québec has specificities when dealing with diversity. The INTEGRIM ESR Tina MAGAZZINI (University of Deusto) discussed his presentation.
Two participants scheduled in the afternoon session could not present their papers. Katya LONG (Université Libre de Bruxelles) intended to present her paper, A State-Level Analysis of Integration Policy in the United States: California and Texas. The Skype connection could not be established due to local technical problems in Tunisia where she currently resides. Corinne TORREKENS (Université Libre de Bruxelles) Between Assimilation and Multiculturalism: Realities and Practices of Integration Policies towards Language, Religious and Artistic Diversity in Belgium, cancelled her participation at the last minute due to medical reasons.
PhD sessions:
This workshop also afforded and opportunity for newly recruited INTEGRIM PhD researchers to participate in a network activity. Stefano PIEMONTESE (recruited by the CEU) attended the workshop and participated actively in the discussions. Cristina-Claudia PARASCHIVESCU, currently at the University of Leeds, will spend one year in CEDEM starting in September and she presented her current research (see below).
- Shannon DAMERY, CEDEM, ‘Going Home.’ The reality of imagined connections among young migrants in Belgium
- Agnese LACE, MireKoç, Koç University: Shared Citizenship across stronger borders: state justifications for application of dual citizenship
- Cristina-Claudia PARASCHIVESCU, University of Leeds: Transnationalism as the negotiation of belonging. A case-study of Romanians in London and Paris
- Tina MAGAZZINI: ‘Identifying identity’ in the European National Roma Integration Strategies
As all PhD student papers circulated before the workshop, and also because they were required to adhere to a ten minute time limit, the discussions following each presentation were quite rich and fruitful.