Muslim Integration into Western Cultures:
Between Origins and Destinations
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Institute for Social Research (ISR)
Harvard University - John F. Kennedy School of Government
March 1, 2009
Abstract:
To what extent do migrants carry their culture with them, and to what extent do they acquire the culture of their new home? The answer not only has important political implications; it also helps us understand the extent to which basic cultural values are enduring or malleable; and whether cultural values are traits of individuals or are attributes of a given society. Part I considers theories about the impact of growing social diversity in Western nations. We classify two categories of society: ORIGINS (defined as Islamic Countries of Origin for Muslim migrants, including twenty nations with plurality Muslim populations) and DESTINATIONS (defined as Western Countries of Destination for Muslim migrants, including twenty-two OECD member states with Protestant or Roman Catholic majority populations). Using this framework, we demonstrate that on average, the basic social values of Muslim migrants fall roughly mid-way between those prevailing in their country of origin and their country of destination. We conclude that Muslim migrants do not move to Western countries with rigidly fixed attitudes; instead, they gradually absorb much of the host culture, as assimilation theories suggest.
Keywords: Human Rights, Intergovernmental Relations, International Affairs, Globalization, International Development, Political Science, immigration, muslim integration
Working Paper Series
No comments:
Post a Comment