Seminar on Integration and Diversity - Copenhagen (DK), 1-3 October 2008
1 October 2008 - 3 October 2008
Denmark
Europe today includes many multi-cultural or composite societies. This is not a new circumstance. Migration flows throughout history have made diversity [ethnic, religious, cultural, linguistic etc] a standard feature of the European social landscape. Countries now face problems and enjoy benefits that are an effect of existing diversities as much as new population flows. Whether or not the volume of in-migrants has increased as much as commentators suggest, ‘diversity’ in Europe has become controversial. Contemporary liberal / European ideology prioritises sustainable development which in turn implies universal access to political institutions, education, and health services which represent all parts of the population. Diversity in this frame is associated with demands for new practices in administration, education, law and politics. These changes are highly contested: the rights of divers groups compete and get in the way of creative cultural dialogue. How is an inclusive civil society to be achieved?
These are practical as well as scholarly concerns. A central aim of the workshop is that its outcomes will be relevant to current problems of policy and practice in Europe. Our discussion will confront dilemmas that arise outside the academic ivory tower and give the facts of diversity and ideals of sustainability their popular cogency.
We need immigration in most European countries for demographic reasons. Migrant populations are younger and with higher birth rates than in Western Europe where population decline is a serious concern. At the same time, apparently growing numbers are hostile to immigration: restrictions on becoming a full member of the Community are being/ have been strengthened, and large social groups express antipathy towards ethnic non-Europeans.
Because of its changing demographic structure, Europe needs migrants to compensate for shortages in the labour force, especially at low skill levels. But again, there is a significant and growing hostility to in-migration in the general public as well as in labour market organisations.
Increased employment of women and the elderly could begin to compensate for shortages in the labour force. It could also help prevent poverty and social marginalisation of low-income families; support efforts to establish gender equality; and compensate for the changing young/old balance in Europe. However, preference structures and cultural context often work against more egalitarian systems, and social and family policies are not organised in ways that promote gender equality and age awareness in the labour market or the wider society.
These dilemmas combine political, economic and social elements; the workshop will therefore approach diversity and sustainable development in a multidisciplinary perspective. A handful of questions will guide our discussion: What does ‘sustainable diversity’ imply for governance and the functioning of democracies? What are the links between stability and sustainability, diversity and economic benefit? If marginalization [e.g. deviance, criminality, social stress] is an indicator of ‘diversity out of joint’, where/how do we begin to find remedies for it?
Among specific topics to be addressed are:
The relationship between diversity, citizenship rights, civic participation and sustainable social development. Comparative perspectives on core issues of membership [citizenship, participation, identity],
The consequences of trans-national citizenship in relation to globalisation processes and the enlarged European Community. The interrelation of demographic change and ethnic migration
Migrants and non-EU citizens as active participants in economic, social and cultural development in Europe as well as their countries of origin.
The social and cultural dynamics of migration considered as “intersecting dimensions”: class, generation, gender and sexuality.
How diversity is expressed and managed in different arenas of social life – neighbourhoods, political and cultural organisations, work organisations, work-life relationships etc.
This meeting will bring together scholars within the two EU Networks of Excellence with colleagues from other European institutions working on civil society, citizenship, civic participation, diversity and multi-cultural issues; and with policymakers, NGO-representatives and journalists with practical experience of the issues.
It will be organised as a sequence of two keynote lectures, a series of paper presentations, and a round table discussion of practical policy implications. All activities will be held in plenum. We estimate that a total of twenty persons will attend - six or seven from each of the organising Networks, with other invited scholars, representatives from NGO’s, policymakers and journalists making up the number. We regret that, for reasons of space and format, we cannot welcome volunteered contributions.
SUSDIV Partners directly involved are UCL (University College London), IPRS (Instituto Psicoanalitico per le Ricerche Sociali) and IDEAConsult. CINEFOGO is a co-convenor and the practical organisation of the workshop will be the responsibility of Roskilde University.
Seminar web: http://www.cinefogo.org/workpackages/wp47/wp47-seminar-integration-and-diversity/About(opens in new window) CINEFOGO
CINEFOGO is an acronym for Network of Excellence “Civil Society and New Forms of Governance in Europe – the Making of European Citizenship”. CINEFOGO aims at enhancing the understanding of social and democratic processes, citizenship and de-mocratic participation in Europe. It seeks to provide knowledge about civil society, citizenship and social protection, nourish a public debate on governance and strengthen intellectual co-operation. To learn more on CINEFOGO, visit http://www.cinefogo.org(opens in new window) or send an e-mail to secretariat@cinefogo.org. The CINEFOGO Network of Excellence is supported by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme, Priority 7: New Forms of Citizenship and Cultural Identities of the European Union.
These are practical as well as scholarly concerns. A central aim of the workshop is that its outcomes will be relevant to current problems of policy and practice in Europe. Our discussion will confront dilemmas that arise outside the academic ivory tower and give the facts of diversity and ideals of sustainability their popular cogency.
We need immigration in most European countries for demographic reasons. Migrant populations are younger and with higher birth rates than in Western Europe where population decline is a serious concern. At the same time, apparently growing numbers are hostile to immigration: restrictions on becoming a full member of the Community are being/ have been strengthened, and large social groups express antipathy towards ethnic non-Europeans.
Because of its changing demographic structure, Europe needs migrants to compensate for shortages in the labour force, especially at low skill levels. But again, there is a significant and growing hostility to in-migration in the general public as well as in labour market organisations.
Increased employment of women and the elderly could begin to compensate for shortages in the labour force. It could also help prevent poverty and social marginalisation of low-income families; support efforts to establish gender equality; and compensate for the changing young/old balance in Europe. However, preference structures and cultural context often work against more egalitarian systems, and social and family policies are not organised in ways that promote gender equality and age awareness in the labour market or the wider society.
These dilemmas combine political, economic and social elements; the workshop will therefore approach diversity and sustainable development in a multidisciplinary perspective. A handful of questions will guide our discussion: What does ‘sustainable diversity’ imply for governance and the functioning of democracies? What are the links between stability and sustainability, diversity and economic benefit? If marginalization [e.g. deviance, criminality, social stress] is an indicator of ‘diversity out of joint’, where/how do we begin to find remedies for it?
Among specific topics to be addressed are:
The relationship between diversity, citizenship rights, civic participation and sustainable social development. Comparative perspectives on core issues of membership [citizenship, participation, identity],
The consequences of trans-national citizenship in relation to globalisation processes and the enlarged European Community. The interrelation of demographic change and ethnic migration
Migrants and non-EU citizens as active participants in economic, social and cultural development in Europe as well as their countries of origin.
The social and cultural dynamics of migration considered as “intersecting dimensions”: class, generation, gender and sexuality.
How diversity is expressed and managed in different arenas of social life – neighbourhoods, political and cultural organisations, work organisations, work-life relationships etc.
This meeting will bring together scholars within the two EU Networks of Excellence with colleagues from other European institutions working on civil society, citizenship, civic participation, diversity and multi-cultural issues; and with policymakers, NGO-representatives and journalists with practical experience of the issues.
It will be organised as a sequence of two keynote lectures, a series of paper presentations, and a round table discussion of practical policy implications. All activities will be held in plenum. We estimate that a total of twenty persons will attend - six or seven from each of the organising Networks, with other invited scholars, representatives from NGO’s, policymakers and journalists making up the number. We regret that, for reasons of space and format, we cannot welcome volunteered contributions.
SUSDIV Partners directly involved are UCL (University College London), IPRS (Instituto Psicoanalitico per le Ricerche Sociali) and IDEAConsult. CINEFOGO is a co-convenor and the practical organisation of the workshop will be the responsibility of Roskilde University.
Seminar web: http://www.cinefogo.org/workpackages/wp47/wp47-seminar-integration-and-diversity/About(opens in new window) CINEFOGO
CINEFOGO is an acronym for Network of Excellence “Civil Society and New Forms of Governance in Europe – the Making of European Citizenship”. CINEFOGO aims at enhancing the understanding of social and democratic processes, citizenship and de-mocratic participation in Europe. It seeks to provide knowledge about civil society, citizenship and social protection, nourish a public debate on governance and strengthen intellectual co-operation. To learn more on CINEFOGO, visit http://www.cinefogo.org(opens in new window) or send an e-mail to secretariat@cinefogo.org. The CINEFOGO Network of Excellence is supported by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme, Priority 7: New Forms of Citizenship and Cultural Identities of the European Union.