RUDN journal of Sociology (Dec 2016)
Identity and culture in the contexts of immigration
Abstract
The article considers contexts and contextuality as a means to analyze the contemporary immigration, which is defined as a factor of global competition in the framework of the first context. The typical research model of ‘donor-recipient’ is supplemented by a third actor - political and economic world centers, and the world’s multinational companies that invite migrants in order to redistribute the labor resources on the most important labor markets. Immigration is used as an instrument to regulate state social policies; immigration contributes to the social and cultural fragmentation of Europe. The second context is devoted to the study of the rationalization principle as a form of European expansion. Following the conception of A. Touraine, the author defines the rationalization as a form of expansion and as one of the European civilization features that destroys social and cultural constellations. Today Europe is divided into two parts in relation to immigration: the western part (or group of countries) reproduces the immigration model typical for the classic immigration in the past (it is open to immigration); the eastern group of countries reproduces the perception of immigration typical for the old Europe (it is closed to immigration). The determining factor of immigration is the force of attraction of economic and financial world centers; however, the new feature of immigration is that it becomes predominantly nonreturn. The third immigration context is based on the declaration of the priority of culture, traditions and values of the national community. Immigration here is undesirable, non-labor and unacceptable for local labor markets. Immigrants are refugees partly supported by the budgetary funds. Immigrants face high integration requirements such as the study of the language, culture and social norms of the host society.
