Key theories and propositions

Ethnic diversity

Immigrant integration

Immigrant integration proposition:

P. With increasing length of stay of an ethnic minority group in a certain country, this ethnic minority group becomes more integrated

The concept of “length of stay” can be interpreted in two ways, namely: (1) as a life-course effect and (2) as a generation effect

1. Process of integration can unfold over the life course, i.e., within someone’s generation → within their life course, the opinions and norms of immigrants will converge with those of the mainstream culture, that immigrants will establish more social ties with ethnic majority members and that also be expected to occur between generations

2. Increasing integration can also be expected to occur between generations → children of immigrants will be more socially, culturally and exonomically integrated tham their parents, and this process if increasing integration continued with each successive generation

Immigrant assimilation

Indicate a “stronger” version of the immigrant integration proposition, namely the proposition that, over time, the ethnic minority and majority groups become indistinguishable, fully “assimilated,” and eventually ethnic group affiliation is no longer a meaningful social categorization

The difference between the two propositions is thus that the immigrant integration proposition argues that ethnic groups become more similar to each other over time, that groups tend to converge and accept each other, but that complete assimilation need not be the end state.

The integration proposition leaves open the posibility of maintaining distinct cultural heritage and ethnic group identities.

Both are not normative judgements but are theoretical statements that can be tested emperically

Selective integration

Integration spillover effect

Schelling segregation model