Objective
The period since the mid-1990s has seen an unprecedented increase in immigration to Ireland, as in other EU countries. Research has documented the experiences of migrants in different contexts, as part of a broad concern with issues of social integration a nd inclusion. Many migrant groups include a significant population of children and young people, but very little research has focused specifically on their experiences of integration.This research programme aims to contribute to understandings of immigrati on and integration among children and young people in contemporary Irish society. It seeks to map the social worlds of migrant children and youth at the local level in different contexts. The research will produce in-depth analysis of the nature and extent of integration, drawing on current ideas of transnationalism, citizenship and geographies of childhood, and will propose recommendations. The research programme will be interdisciplinary in nature, primarily qualitative, and will involve four interrelated strands: (1) labour migrants, (2) EU citizens, (3) asylum-seekers and refugees and (4) Irish return migrants. A child-centred approach will be adopted and will include participatory research techniques. The findings will have direct relevance for other EU countries, in particular new member states, which may experience similar social and economic transformations in the future. Researchers will be recruited from across the social sciences and the EU. They will have expertise in the relevant field, relevant language skills and knowledge of the major sending countries for migrants to Ireland (particularly eastern European countries). Therefore the research team will be interdisciplinary and international. The research will promote the EU as a research hub in t his area, will contribute to improved research careers and mobility in the EU, and will contribute to integration of citizens of new EU states.
Fields of science
Keywords
Call for proposal
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-8
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