Migration and Cultural Integration in Europe

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11 December 2013, 12.00 noon – 5.45 pm 

Representation of the State
of Baden-Württemberg to the EU

Rue Belliard 60-62, 1040 Brussels 

ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen)

Marcel Berlinghof

"In European societies shaped by immigration, the everyday integration of migrants takes place in civic, socio-economic, and cultural dimensions. While there is evidence for a harmonisation of civic and socio-economic integration policies in Europe, the cultural dimension is still shaped by national concepts and perceptions of integration. The cultural integration of migrants, and its link to the question of identity, is most often treated politically as a matter of language skills and religion. To understand the processes and problems of everyday life in Europe’s multicultural societies today, other aspects that shape the host societies’ perception towards newcomers and hence their opportunities for integration have to be included in the picture as well."

Key Questions 

"What do we mean when we talk about the cultural integration of migrants? Which competing concepts for the integration of migrants or minorities exist in different parts of Europe? Is cultural integration only a matter of language and religion? How can cultural institutes contribute to the integration of migrants? Should action be taken in the host country or in the country of origin?"

Conference 

"The conference brings together researchers and practitioners, so that they may share on each other various perspectives on the cultural integration of migrants. The aim thereby is to contribute both to a broader understanding of cultural integration and of the causes and consequences of national divergences in this field. It brings together professionals dealing with the integration of migrants und provides them with good-practice examples. Furthermore it will provide a forum for EUNIC’s cultural institutes to discuss the potential, challenges and pitfalls of a common European strategy on the cultural integration of migrants."