Integration från ord till handling : En undersökning av integrationens betydelser inom sociologi, politik och praktiskt arbete

This study deals with the concept of ’integration’. Starting from the concept of reality as socially and linguistically constructed, it is an attempt to see how lingual constructions and perceptions affect the official structures of society and vice versa. The main purpose is to compare the different meanings integration has in a sociological context and in a political one. Further, the purpose is to see how the relationship between the sociological and political concepts affects the integrational work in the Swedish County Administrative Boards, and which consequences these effects might have. The study is carried out with ethnographic methods, i.e. participant observation and textual analysis, in a specific County Administrative Board, focusing mainly on its policy and strategy for integrational work. The results are that the main differences between the sociological and political definitions of integration lie in their extent of meanings. The sociological definitions contain many different meanings which sometimes contradict each other. The political ones however are more fixed and limited in their scope. The goal of the integrational politics is not always clear and this affects the practical work. Other problems are that the political as well as practical integrational definitions are limited to certain groups during certain conditions. The consequences of these problems can be that certain groups are left out of the integrational process, that some of the factors of integration are neglected and that immigrants, being the designated group in need of integration, are stigmatized