Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

It is to be recalled that sucesfull social integration between the immigrants and the host
community could have a positive impact on improving the development and resilience of
society. It contributes to the advancement of sustainable development by creating better
socio-economic interconnectedness, mutual trust & cultural tolerance. Sweden has been
one of the most prominent examples with regard to refugee integration programs mostly
because of its welfare traditions and generosity to the immigrants. Despite the massive
effort from the government, however, nowadays, it seems that the integration strategy is
facing many challenges at the implementation level.
The objective of this study was to explore the experience and perception of Somali
immigrants in Sweden with regard to the integration process. A qualitative research
design was employed in this thesis and qualitative data were collected using semistructured
individual interviews and focus group discussions. The study finds that the
Somali immigrant’s perception of integration is influenced by many factors including to
employment, education, social bonds, social bridges, social links and language etc.
The main conclusion of this study indicates that many of the research respondents
perceive the government integration program as assimilation rather than multiculturalism
despite the official government policy approach, which is a multicultural-based
integration. As a result, there was a general feeling of losing identity, culture, and religion
among the respondents. The lack of social networks and friendliness among the host
community, which could have been a prerequisite for better integration, appear to have a
negative impact on the integration of Somalis into the mainstream society. Widespread
unemployment, perceived discrimination, lack of educational background as well as
social separation between the Somalis and the host, seems to challenge creating valuable
social networks, which consequently resulted in difficulties in the path towards
integration.