Matthias Wingens

The Sociological Life Course Approach and Research on Migration and Integration

Over the last four decades the life course perspective has become an important and fruitful approach in the social sciences. Some of its proponents even claim that the life course approach today is the pre-eminent theoretical orientation and new core research paradigm in social science (Elder et al. 2003; Heinz et al. 2009). Although not everyone will agree with this far reaching claim, few will dispute that the life course approach constitutes a promising conceptual starting point for overcoming the crucial micro-macro problem in social research by analysing the dynamic interrelation of structure and agency. The life course perspective has been successfully applied to empirical research in a wide range of sociological as well as demographic studies. In line with the development of the life course approach also migration and integration issues have become core topics of debate in society and are subject of a growing number of studies over the past years. Despite this similar development in time, exchanges between the life course approach and migration research are still rather limited. Reviewing the booming migration literature in Europe it is striking that the large majority of studies do not or only partially use the sociological life course approach. Even though a study already carried out in the early twentieth century became a classical study in migration research as well as in the life course literature. In the “The Polish Peasant in Europe and America” (1918–1920), the authors Thomas and Znaniecki basically apply a life course approach to the study of Polish migrants coming to the US. They aimed to explain social changes and changes in, for example family relations, by focusing on the interaction between individual migrants and the host society. This line of research has however not been fully taken further in research since then. Even though migration has become one of the major factors in population change in Europe today (Coleman 2008; Taran 2009) and the resulting significant amount of research in social sciences, the main focus of recent studies has been on the position of migrants in education and the labour market as well as on issues of identity and belonging (Heath et al. 2008; Van Tubergen 2005; Verkuyten 2001). Studies mainly aim to explain the specific position of migrants after migration. In demography, studies have looked at specific transitions like timing of the first child or intermarriage with native partners (Coleman 1994; Gonzalez-Ferrer 2006; Kalmijn and van Tubergen 2006; Milewski 2008). In the study of international migration moves different, often economic explanations of migration decisions are taken. Only recently more emphasis has been put on the linked lives and the role of family and other networks for facilitating the migration move (Castles and Miller 2009). That the life course approach is only limitedly used in migration studies is at least puzzling: Understanding migrants’ behaviour and explaining the cumulative effects resulting from their actions which, in turn, are embedded in societal structures and framed by institutions, requires just the kind of dynamic research approach the sociological life course perspective suggests. This is even more so the case for studies on integration issues, as integration processes actually directly refer to life course processes, be it inter-generational (cohort differences) or intra-generational (individual careers). At the same time most studies in this domain focus on the position of migrants in society by studying the process of settlement in the host society only.

Berufsverläufe im Transformationsprozeß

In der neueren Ungleichheitsforschung hat sich zur Bezeichnung des Phanomens, das viele Ungleichheitslagen nicht zeitkonstant dieselben Personen betreffen, also einen dynamischen Charakter im Sinne mehr oder weniger bedeutsamer Ubergangsepisoden aufweisen, der Begriff der “Verzeitlichung sozialer Ungleichheit” eingeburgert. Dieser Begriff verknupft neuere Lebenslauftheorien und Ungleichheitstheorien miteinander. In der Theorie des Lebenslaufs (Kohli 1985, 1986) wurde festgestellt, das der individuelle Lebenslauf als Abfolge institutionell definierter Lebensphasen selbst den Charakter einer Institution angenommen hat, indem Verlaufe planbar und erwartbar gestaltet werden. Hierbei wurde die zeitliche Strukturierung individueller Verlaufe thematisiert. In der Ungleichheitstheorie (Berger 1990; Osterland 1990) wurde betont, das die zunehmende Dynamik makrosozialer Veranderungen seit den 70er Jahren zu “irregulareren” beruflichen Verlaufen fuhrt, deren zeitlichem Moment in Form von befristeten Stellen und Ungleichheitsphasen ein bedeutendes Gewicht bei der Bestimmung der Sozialstruktur der Gegenwartsgesellschaft zukommt. In dieser Forschungsrichtung wurde starker die zeitliche Bedeutung von makrosozialen Veranderungen in den Vordergrund geruckt.

Religion, friendship networks and home visits of immigrant and native children

Using data from a school survey of N=1190 children at the age of 10 in N=20590 directed dyads and p* models for network data, we investigate the impact of religion on migrant and native children’s friendships and visits at home. Deriving hypotheses from the formation of religious in-groups, our analyses show that having the same or a different religious affiliation as well as regularly attending worship has an impact on having a tie in friendship networks. Visiting alter’s home depends more on similarity in worship attendance. These results indicate that religious diversity can be an additional factor increasing actual levels of immigrant–native segregation in social networks.

Immigrant Settlement and the Life Course: An Exchange of Research Perspectives and Outlook for the Future

Patterns of immigrant settlement as well as the process of incorporation of children of immigrants are directly affecting the life courses of immigrants, their families as well as the majority population in the host country. From this perspective a linkage between the sociology of the life course and research on migration and integration of immigrants seems obvious. In the general introduction we started with an overview of the theoretical foundations and basic analytical concepts of the life course approach and pointed to potentially fruitful links with migration and integration research. The 11 contributions in this book empirically demonstrated the analytical potential of linking the life course perspective and research on immigrant settlement. In our conclusion the use and payoff of this connection will be discussed in more detail. Now, while the link between the life course approach and migration and integration research seems to be obvious, existing studies on family dynamics and the life course often focus on majority populations only and hardly take those with a migrant origin into account. Little is known on the background and consequences of life course transitions for migrants and their families. Our book is an attempt to overcome this limitation of previous work and to show the relevance of applying a life course approach to the study of immigrant groups. Bridging the gap between research traditions is urgently needed as Europe’s current population is already heterogeneous and expected to be even more diverse in the future. In many countries already a fifth of the population is born abroad, or has at least one parent born outside the country of residence. International migrants often experience a rapid social change when moving from their country of origin to another country of settlement. Depending on the move they may not be familiar with the culture in the country of settlement, its institutional regimes, and everyday life practices. This may bring along many uncertainties as was already very well described by Thomas and Znaniecki in their classic work “The Polish Peasant in Europe and America” (1918–1920). As they also show the migration move can have a disruptive effect on the individual migrant and the family.

Unemployment and social mobility in East Germany

Suggests that youth unemployment is seen in East Germany as a critical life event because not only may it “scar” individuals’ careers but there is the fear that it may be a cause of other social problems such as criminal and racist behaviour. Bases the study on event‐history and optimal‐matching analysis. Considers seven hypotheses about the impact of unemployment on social mobility career transitions. Findings suggest that unemployment can raise those chances of upward, downward and lateral mobility.

Social change and the life course in East Germany: a cohort approach to inequalities

Outlines the experiences of East Germany as unification takes place. Presents the findings of a study analysing three groups of East Germans in their transitions from education to employment and subsequent careers from 1985 onwards. Suggests that the findings indicate that changes in macro structure and life courses are closely interrelated. Covers mobility, unemployment, retraining, competition, fertility rates and coping strategies.

Soziale Beziehungen in multiethnischen Gesellschaften. Die theoretischen Grundlagen von Integration, Assimilation, Multikulturalismus und ethnischen Grenzziehungen

In der Diskussion um eine „gelungene Integration“ von Immigranten werden fur die abhangige Variable, namlich die spezifische Form der Inkorporation, unterschiedliche Begriffe verwendet. Diese entstammen unterschiedlichen theoretischen oder normativen Perspektiven. Die Verwendung des Begriff der Assimilation impliziert einen Referenzpunkt, der auf den Vergleich differenzierbarer Dimensionen der Lebenslagen, -formen und -chancen von Immigranten und Einheimischen abstellt und insofern Aussagen daruber ermoglicht, ob und in welchem Ausmas diese spezifisch fur Immigranten sind (Esser, Migration – Integration – Bildung Grundfragen und Problembereiche. S. 41–59, 2004). In ahnlicher Weise verwendet z. B. die Armutsforschung den Median des Haushaltsnettoaquivalenzeinkommens als idealtypischen Masstab, um relative Einkommensarmut zu definieren. Die empirische Untersuchung ethnischer Ungleichheiten oder Benachteiligungen etwa in der Bildungs- oder Arbeitsmarktforschung erfolgt in der Regel mittels eines Vergleichs der Status von Einheimischen und Immigranten – verwendet also (ex- oder implizit) das Assimilationskonzept. Der Gegenpol zum Assimilationsmodell ist das Konzept des Multikulturalismus, der den Eigenwert kultureller Diversitat und eine Bewahrung der jeweiligen Kultur und Identitat von Zuwanderergruppen (Taylor, Multikulturalismus und die Politik der Anerkennung, S. 11–68, 2009) betont. Die wesentliche Differenz zwischen Assimilationstheorie und Multikulturalismus liegt letztlich in der Bewertung kultureller Diversitat und der Binnenintegration ethnischer Gemeinschaften. Wahrend die sozialen Beziehungen der Immigranten aus Sicht der soziologischen Assimilationstheorie daraufhin zu untersuchen sind, ob sie Sozialkapital bereitstellen, das fur den Statuserwerb im Aufnahmeland von Nutzen ist (Esser, Migration und Integration, S. 81–107, 2008), bewertet der Multikulturalismus mit seiner Betonung des Eigenwerts kultureller Diversitat auch eine Binnenintegration in die (herkunfts- oder eigen-)ethnische Gemeinschaft uberwiegend positiv (Elwert, Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 34:717–731, 1982).

Berufliche Qualifizierung — Evaluation AFG-finanzierter Weiterbildung

Die mit Einfuhrung der Wahrungs-, Wirtschafts- und Sozialunion am 1.7.1990 verbundene „Schock-Transformation“ des okonomischen Systems der DDR zu einer Marktwirtschaft fuhrte infolge des veralteten Kapitalstocks der DDR-Okonomie und der daraus resultierenden geringen Arbeitsproduktivitat sowie des Fehlens einer auf dem Weltmarkt konkurrenzfahigen Produktpalette1 zu historisch beispiellosen Wirtschafts- und Beschaftigungsproblemen in den neuen Bundeslandern. So lag z.B. die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion in dem der Wahrungs-, Wirtschafts- und Sozialunion folgenden Jahr um mehr als 40% unter der des Jahres 1989 und es waren ebenfalls etwa \( {\raise0.7ex\hbox{

Utilization of social sciences in public discourse: Labeling problems

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Einleitung: Soziale Netzwerke, Sozialkapital und ethnische Grenzziehungen im Schulkontext

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