A life-course perspective on migration and integration

✍ Scribed by Wingens, Matthias

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 301
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Over the last four decades the sociological life course approach with its focus on the interplay of structure and agency over time life course perspective has become an important research perspective in the social sciences. Yet, while it has successfully been applied to almost all fields of social inquiry it is much less used in research studying migrant populations and their integration patterns. This is puzzling since understanding immigrants' integration requires just the kind of dynamic research approach this approach puts forward: any integration theory actually refers to life course processes. This volume shows fruitful cross-linkages between the two research traditions. A range of studies are presented that all apply sociological life course concepts to research on migrants and migrant groups in Europe. The book is organized thematically, indicating different important domains in the life course. Using a wide variety of methodological approaches, it covers both quantitative studies based on population census data and survey material as well as qualitative studies based on interviews. Attention is paid to the life courses of those who migrated themselves as well as their offspring. The studies cover different European countries, relating to one national context or a particular local setting in a city as well as cross-country comparisons. Overall the book shows that applying the sociological life course approach to migration and integration research may advance our understanding of immigrant settlement patterns as well as further develop the life course perspective.

✦ Table of Contents

978-94-007-1545-5_Cover......Page 1
978-94-007-1545-5_Book.pdf......Page 2
A Life-Course Perspective on Migrationand Integration......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Chapter 1:The Sociological Life Course Approach and Research on Migration and Integration......Page 8
1.1 Delimiting the Sociological Life Course Approach......Page 10
1.2 Life Course Research: Unitary Field of Inquiry or Conceptual Framework?......Page 11
1.3 The Sociological Life Course Approach: Structure, Agency, and Time......Page 12
1.4 The Sociological Life Course Approach: Guiding Principles and Analytical Concepts......Page 18
1.5 The Sociological Life Course Approach in This Volume......Page 25
References......Page 27
2.1 Introduction......Page 34
2.2 Theoretical Argument – The Institutional Logic Underlying the Age-at-Migration Effect......Page 36
2.3 Hypotheses on Varying Age-at-Migration Effects Among Privileged and Non-privileged Groups of Immigrants in Germany......Page 39
2.3.2 Age-at-Migration Effect by Legal Status of Immigrants: Aussiedler and Other Immigrants......Page 40
2.4 Database and Operationalization......Page 42
2.5.1 The Bivariate Correlation Between the Age at Migration and the School Certificates Attained......Page 45
2.5.2 Net Effect of Age at Migration on Educational Opportunities......Page 46
2.5.3 The Age-at-Migration Effect by Parental Education......Page 48
2.5.4 The Age-at-Migration Effect by Legal Status......Page 50
2.5.5 Further Differentiation of the Age-at-Migration Effect......Page 53
2.6 Discussion of Findings and Conclusion......Page 54
12.A.1 Appendix......Page 57
References......Page 58
3.1 Introduction......Page 61
3.2 The Situation of Young Immigrants in the German Vocational Education System......Page 63
3.3 Data Set and Empirical Approaches......Page 67
3.4 Distribution of Low-Skilled Youth to Different States During the Transition Process......Page 69
3.5 The Transition Rates of Low-Skilled Youth Entering Vocational Training......Page 72
3.6 PCE-Models: Taking into Account Individual Characteristics and Temporal Patterns......Page 73
3.7 Discussion of the Results......Page 77
References......Page 79
4.1 Introduction......Page 81
4.2 On the Role of Individual Resources for Immigrants' Labour Market Success......Page 82
4.2.1 Human Capital and Country-Specific Cultural Knowledge......Page 83
4.2.2 Social Capital......Page 84
4.2.3 Immigrant Selectivity on Unobserved Characteristics......Page 85
4.3 The German and Israeli Context: On the Role of Institutional Constraints......Page 86
4.4 Description of the Data and Variables......Page 88
4.5.1 Extending the Set of Individual Resources as Predictors of Gainful Employment: Jewish FSU Immigrants Compared to Natives in Germany and Israel......Page 90
4.5.2 Pursuing the Effects of Institutional Restrictions: Comparing Jews in Germany to Jews in Israel and to Ethnic Germans in Germany......Page 93
4.5.3 Accounting for the Residual Effects: Preferences or Aspirations?......Page 95
4.6 Summary and Discussion......Page 97
References......Page 102
5.1 Introduction......Page 107
5.2.1 Implications of the Biographical Approach......Page 109
5.2.2 Status Passages and Trajectories......Page 110
5.2.4 Data and Methods......Page 112
5.3.1 Following the Upper Educational Pathways......Page 114
5.3.2 Second-Chance Careers......Page 117
5.4.1 Immediate Career Entry Based on Institutionalized Social Capital......Page 120
5.4.2 Restricted Career Entry Following Multi-Stage Transitions......Page 121
5.4.3 Non-restricted Career Entry Following a Multi-Stage Transition and Compensatory Strategies......Page 122
5.5 Concluding Remarks......Page 123
References......Page 124
6.1 Introduction......Page 126
6.2 Theoretical Challenges: Questioning the Causal Sequence, Finality, Linearity and Non-Relationality of Integration......Page 127
6.3 Methodology......Page 129
6.4.1 The Economic Dimension......Page 133
6.4.2 The Austrian Legal and Political Framework......Page 136
6.4.3 The Subjectivity of Upward Social Mobility......Page 138
6.4.4 Belonging, Identifications and Emotional Bonds – Function and Change Over Time......Page 139
6.5 The Subjective Assessment of the Individual Migration Project: Phases and Components......Page 141
6.5.1 Time: The Three Phases......Page 142
6.5.2 Structure: The Four Dimensions......Page 143
6.6 Concluding Remarks......Page 144
References......Page 145
7.1 Introduction......Page 148
7.1.1 Immigration and Integration in France and Germany......Page 149
7.1.2 Participation and Social Distancing: Theoretical Framework......Page 151
7.2 Germany and France as National Contexts: Opportunities and Constraints......Page 153
7.3 Data and Methods......Page 155
7.3.1 Differences in Educational Achievement......Page 156
7.3.2 Labour Market Participation......Page 158
7.3.3 Two Logics of Social Distancing......Page 162
7.4 Conclusion......Page 165
References......Page 167
8.1 Introduction......Page 170
8.3 Transition to Adulthood: Ordering and Timing of Events......Page 172
8.4 Life Courses of Young Adults of Different Origins......Page 174
8.5.1 Measuring the Transition to Adulthood......Page 176
8.5.2 Methods......Page 177
8.6 Family Life Events: Diversity in Transitions......Page 179
8.7 Conclusion and Discussion......Page 186
References......Page 190
Chapter 9:Linked Life-Events. Leaving Parental Home in Turkish Immigrant and Native Families in Germany......Page 192
9.1 Theory and Research......Page 193
9.2 Data and Methods......Page 196
9.3 Results......Page 197
9.4 Summary and Conclusion......Page 209
References......Page 212
10.1 Introduction......Page 215
10.2 Theoretical Considerations and Research Hypotheses......Page 218
10.2.1 Principle of Linked Lives......Page 219
10.2.2 Principle of Human Agency......Page 220
10.3.1 Measure of the `Intermarriage Premium'......Page 221
10.4 Descriptive Results......Page 223
10.4.1.1 Estimation Equations......Page 226
10.4.1.2 Empirical Specification......Page 228
10.4.1.3 Results from Probit and Bivariate Probit Models......Page 230
10.5 Conclusion and Discussion......Page 238
References......Page 241
11.1 Introduction......Page 243
11.2 Ethnic Segregation of Turkish Migrants in the Bremen District of Groepelingen......Page 245
11.3 The Extent of Inter-Ethnic Friendships in the District of Groepelingen......Page 246
11.4 Possible Causes of a Non-existing Influence of Ethnic Residential Areas......Page 251
11.5 Heterogeneity of the Spatially Limited Distribution of Turkish Migrants in Groepelingen......Page 254
11.6 The Influence of Spatially Limited Ethnic Segregation in the Closer Neighborhoods......Page 257
11.7 Summary......Page 259
References......Page 260
12.1 Introduction......Page 263
12.2.1 Transnational Activities......Page 264
12.2.2 Previous Empirical Evidence......Page 265
12.3 Theoretical Frame......Page 267
12.3.2 Motivation......Page 270
12.4 Immigration in Germany......Page 271
12.5 Data and Analysis......Page 272
12.5.1 Transnational Activities Among Immigrants in Germany: Descriptive Results......Page 274
12.5.2 Transnational Activities and Immigrant Integration: Multivariate Analyses......Page 275
12.6 Results......Page 276
12.7 Conclusion......Page 281
References......Page 284
13.1 Introduction......Page 287
13.2 Life Course Principles and Concepts in Migration and Integration Research......Page 289
13.3 Empirical Findings on Immigrant Settlement and the Life Course......Page 292
13.4 An Outlook to the Future......Page 297
References......Page 300