Writing against integration: Danish imaginaries of culture, race and belonging

Mikkel Rytter

doi:10.1080/00141844.2018.1458745

Writing against integration: Danish imaginaries of culture, race and belonging

Institut for Kultur og Samfund - Afdeling for Antropologi

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

146 Citationer (Scopus)

924 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The article addresses some of the problems related to the concept of integration, which has been used (and abused) in Denmark since the 1990s to discuss socio-economic, cultural and religious challenges related to the everyday life of ethnic minorities. The concept of integration is not innocent but promotes both a specific conceptualisation of Danish society and a problematisation of immigrant minorities and their relationship to the indigenous majority. Based on the ethnographic studies conducted in Denmark in recent decades, the article attempts to disentangle the dominant social imaginary by outlining three scenarios: ‘welfare reciprocity’, ‘host and guests’ and ‘the Danes as an indigenous people’. These scenarios consolidate an asymmetrical relationship between majorities and minorities because they simultaneously cast integration as desirable and impossible. Finally, inspired by Lila Abu-Lughod’s seminal article ‘writing against culture’, the article suggests strategies of ‘writing against integration’ in order to regain the critical potential of academic analysis.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Ethnos
Vol/bind	84
Nummer	4
Sider (fra-til)	678-697
Antal sider	19
ISSN	0014-1844
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2018.1458745
Status	Udgivet - 2019
Begivenhed	EASA 2016 - Milano, Italien Varighed: 20 jul. 2016 → 23 jul. 2016

Konference

Konference	EASA 2016
Land/Område	Italien
By	Milano
Periode	20/07/2016 → 23/07/2016

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1080/00141844.2018.1458745Licens: CC BY-NC-ND

Writing Against Integration: Danish Imaginaries of Culture, Race and Belonging_Pdf_2019Forlagets udgivne version, 1,6 MBLicens: CC BY-NC-ND

MIAU: MIAU - Centre for Migration and Integration research, Aarhus University
Rytter, M. (Projektleder), Valentin, K. (Projektleder), Fibiger, M. Q. (Projektleder), Wilken, L. (Projektleder), Larsen, B. R. (Projektleder), Hansen, H. L. (Projektleder), Sanchez Boe, C. (Projektleder), Adriansen, H. K. (Deltager), Anderson, S. D. (Deltager), Atzbach, R. (Deltager), Bach, J. S. (Deltager), Bugge, P. (Deltager), Frydensberg, J. N. B. (Deltager), Christensen, T. W. (Deltager), Elbek, L. L. (Deltager), Fibiger, T. B. (Deltager), Ghandchi, N. (Deltager), Gilliam, L. (Deltager), Gulløv, E. (Deltager), Hansen, A. S. (Deltager), Hansen, J. H. S. (Deltager), Hasse, C. (Deltager), Ifversen, J. (Deltager), Ismail, A. M. (Deltager), Johansen, M.-L. (Deltager), Jørgensen, M. N. (Deltager), Kansteiner, W. (Deltager), Larsen, T. L. (Deltager), Lund Mortensen, E. (Deltager), Maksimovic, T. (Deltager), McQuaid, S. D. (Deltager), Naum, M. E. (Deltager), Nielsen, G. B. (Deltager), Niraula, A. (Deltager), Pacheco Cueva, V. D. (Deltager), Pardue, D. (Deltager), Santamaria Colmenero, S. (Deltager), Schou Pallesen, C. M. (Deltager), Sparre, S. L. (Deltager), Seeberg, J. (Deltager), Thunoe, M. (Deltager), Visser, J. (Deltager), Vium, C. (Deltager), Waltorp, K. (Deltager), Suhr, C. (Deltager), Winther, I. W. (Deltager), Wright, S. (Deltager) & Ilkjær, H. (Deltager)
01/01/2019 → 31/08/2023
Projekter: Projekt › Forskning
AISHA: AISHA - ageing immigrants and self-appointed helper arrangement
Rytter, M. (Projektleder), Ismail, A. M. (Deltager), Liversage, A. (Deltager), Sparre, S. L. (Deltager), Liversage, A. (Deltager) & Ravn Andersen, C. (Deltager)
Velux Fonden
01/09/2017 → 31/08/2021
Projekter: Projekt › Forskning
ARTlife: ARTlife - Articulations of life among Afghans in Denmark
Rytter, M. (Projektleder), Waltorp, K. (Deltager), Vium, C. (Deltager), Frydensberg, J. N. B. (Deltager) & Ghandchi, N. (Deltager)
AUFF NOVA
01/05/2017 → 31/08/2022
Projekter: Projekt › Forskning

Citationsformater

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abstract = "The article addresses some of the problems related to the concept of integration, which has been used (and abused) in Denmark since the 1990s to discuss socio-economic, cultural and religious challenges related to the everyday life of ethnic minorities. The concept of integration is not innocent but promotes both a specific conceptualisation of Danish society and a problematisation of immigrant minorities and their relationship to the indigenous majority. Based on the ethnographic studies conducted in Denmark in recent decades, the article attempts to disentangle the dominant social imaginary by outlining three scenarios: {\textquoteleft}welfare reciprocity{\textquoteright}, {\textquoteleft}host and guests{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}the Danes as an indigenous people{\textquoteright}. These scenarios consolidate an asymmetrical relationship between majorities and minorities because they simultaneously cast integration as desirable and impossible. Finally, inspired by Lila Abu-Lughod{\textquoteright}s seminal article {\textquoteleft}writing against culture{\textquoteright}, the article suggests strategies of {\textquoteleft}writing against integration{\textquoteright} in order to regain the critical potential of academic analysis.",

keywords = "Denmark, Social imaginary, integration, majority-minority, muslims, nationalism",

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AB - The article addresses some of the problems related to the concept of integration, which has been used (and abused) in Denmark since the 1990s to discuss socio-economic, cultural and religious challenges related to the everyday life of ethnic minorities. The concept of integration is not innocent but promotes both a specific conceptualisation of Danish society and a problematisation of immigrant minorities and their relationship to the indigenous majority. Based on the ethnographic studies conducted in Denmark in recent decades, the article attempts to disentangle the dominant social imaginary by outlining three scenarios: ‘welfare reciprocity’, ‘host and guests’ and ‘the Danes as an indigenous people’. These scenarios consolidate an asymmetrical relationship between majorities and minorities because they simultaneously cast integration as desirable and impossible. Finally, inspired by Lila Abu-Lughod’s seminal article ‘writing against culture’, the article suggests strategies of ‘writing against integration’ in order to regain the critical potential of academic analysis.

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KW - Social imaginary

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KW - majority-minority

KW - muslims

KW - nationalism

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DO - 10.1080/00141844.2018.1458745

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Writing against integration: Danish imaginaries of culture, race and belonging

Abstract

Konference

Adgang til dokumentet

Fingeraftryk

Projekter

MIAU: MIAU - Centre for Migration and Integration research, Aarhus University

AISHA: AISHA - ageing immigrants and self-appointed helper arrangement

ARTlife: ARTlife - Articulations of life among Afghans in Denmark

Citationsformater