Becoming Europe: Immigration, Integration, and the Welfare State (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780822958451)

Across Europe, millions of immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers have often had difficulties fitting into their new societies. Most analysts have laid the blame on a clash of cultures. Becoming Europe provides evidence that institutions matter more than culture in determining the shape of ethnic relations.

Patrick Ireland argues that it is incorrect blithely to anticipate unavoidable conflict between Muslim immigrants and European host societies. Noting similarities in the structure of the welfare states in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium--as well as in their respective North African and Turkish immigrant communities--he compares national- and city-level developments to show how approaches toward immigrant settlement have diverged widely and evolved over time.

Becoming Europe demonstrates how policymakers have worked hard to balance immigrants' claims to distinct traditions with demands for equal treatment. Ultimately, it reveals a picture of people learning by doing in the day-to-day activities that shape how communities come together and break apart.

Author: Patrick Ireland
ISBN-10: 0822958457
ISBN-13: 9780822958451
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Language: English
Published: 08/22/2004
Pages: 274
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.12w x 0.63d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2005 pg. 1892