Be Beco coming ming Eu Euro ropean ean? Non-EU Migrants - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Be Beco coming ming Eu Euro ropean ean?

Non-EU Migrants Negotiate European Identities in France, Great Britain and Spain

Maricia Fischer-Souan PhD Candidate

Methodological Approach

Research Design

Algerian erians Ecua uadorian dorians Indi dian ans Spa pain 8 17

• France

ance 37

• 10

Great at Britain in

• 10

21 100+ in-depth interviews with first generation migrants in three EU contexts between 2014 and 2016 Intervi rview ew the hemes es: Motivations for migration COR arrival and settlement experiences Ethnic, national and supranational identities Spatial scales and everyday life Evaluations of country of origin (COO), country of residence (COR) and EU societies and politics

1. . ‘Eu Europ

• pe’ as a salient

ent cat atego egory ry

19 19/1 /103 03 res esponden

• ndents made

de sp spontaneou taneous ref eferenc erences es = = ju just st under der 1/ 1/5

Prin incipl iple th themes mes/me mean anings ings of sp spontan ntaneous eous references ences to to Europe:

Europe: I did it all for my daughters

…I came to France for my daughters. The idea was that they would study…Nothing will come in their way. They can

• travel. I think my eldest daughter has visited thirteen

European countries since we are in France. Me, I’ve only visited the Czech Republic outside of France (Laughter). …She is also European, being French. She is free. … My daughters are 18 and 22 years old. And they have French

• nationality. They are Europeans. They are citizens of this
• world. I took them from [Algeria] with a broken heart…[in

the midst of civil war violence].

• Nabil, COO Algeria, 54, Paris suburbs

• 2. N

. Non

• n-sal

salienc ience of ‘Eu Europ

• pe’

21 21/1 /103 03 res esponde

• ndents

nts of

• ffer

er ‘blan lank’ rea eactions tions to to for

• rced

ed ques estions ions on

• n Eu

Europe

• pe = 1/

= 1/5 Con

• nfusion

fusion Silence ence Laught aughter er Irritat ritation ion Irony

• ny

Confusion

Q: As a s a Brit ritish ish citi tizen en you

• u also

so have ave EU EU citiz izens enship hip. . Do

• you
• u fee

eel Eu European

• pean to
• so

some deg egree ee? A: …I have British itish citiz izens enship hip, not the EU one. *1.5 year before Brexit Referendum!

Q: If If I I sa say the word ‘Eu Europe rope’, what at is is the first st thing ing that at com

• mes

es to

• mind

ind? A: … (Blan ank facial ial ex expres pression sion)… Q: Does the idea of Europe mean anything to you? A: (Silence ence)… I don’t understand the question.

Emotional reactions

Q: Do Do you

• u fee

eel Spani nish sh or

• r Eu

European

• pean in

n any ny way ay? A: (Laught aughter er)…No!

“C’est quoi ce truc? Moi je sais pas ce que c’est moi, l’Europe !”

Q: Do you feel European? A: What hat is is European?! Q: What does it mean to you? A: What is it? What is this thing ing? … I don’t know what Europe is!

3. . Jus usti tifi ficat cations ions fo for Ide dent ntifi ficat cation ion/N /Non

• n-

Ide dent ntif ifica ication tion wi with th Eu Europ

• pe

‘Individual’ or

• rient

entatio ations ns/percepti perceptions

• ns

‘St Structur uctural al’ inf nfluen luences ces

Prim imary ary soc

• cial

ialization ization: COO-level (Algeria/Ecuador/India) Se Secon

• nda

dary ry soc

• cializatio

ialization: COR-level (France/Spain/UK)

Justitications: In Individual dividual-level level

• Self-assessed acculturation /time in Europe
• Experiences of international travel/EU mobility
• Essentialist self-concept/ethnic identity
• Perceived relation to ‘white’/ ‘European’ ethnicities
• Cultural affinities and interests
• Cosmopolitan values

• Perceived COO-COR Cultural Proximity/Distance
• Perception of COO/ethnic ‘status’ internationally
• Dynamics of post-colonial state/nation-building
• Regional integration processes and ‘cognitive maps’
• Pan-ethnic identities (e.g. Latin

American/Berber/North African)

Justifications: Pr Primary mary Soc

• ciali

ializatio zation

• Frames and national discourses on European

integration (Spain/France/UK)

– Europe as ‘other’ – Cultural diversity an obstacle – Political vs. economic integration vs. European values

• Citizenship status
• Perceived mis-recognition/racism in COR
• COR national and local attachments

Justifications: Se Secon

• nda

dary ry So Social aliz izatio ation

Conclusion

‘Way ays of

• f seei

eeing ng’ Eu Europ

• pe fr

from

• m th

the pe perspecti spective ve of ‘stra trang nger ers’ sha hape ped by by: Different contexts! Acculturation experiences! Individual characteristics!

Thank you!

ms msou

• uan

anfi fi@cl @clio.uc3 io.uc3m.es m.es