Migration and Integration

International migration has recently reached unprecedented levels, resulting in approximately
214 million people presently residing in countries different from where they were
born, and this trend is likely to continue. What happens to individuals when there is a change
in their cultural context, or when they come to live next to a group of different ethnic and
cultural background? What are the conditions for successful integration into a new society?
These questions have become very urgent in the face of increasing immigration, recent
economic crises, and social and political stratifications that have the potential of creating
tensions among different ethnic and cultural groups.
The processes involved in migration and intercultural contact are of concern not only to the
migrating individual and group but also to the communities and societies that immigrants
settle in. There is, therefore, a need to expand the psychological perspective on migration
by understanding how intercultural encounters take shape and influence outcomes at the
individual, intergroup, and societal levels. Whereas the process of acculturation is mutual,
much of the psychological research has thus far mainly focused on how minority ethnic group
members deal with the culture change. Recently, however, the focus on how the two parties
involved in intergroup contact impact each other and the dynamics of these influences are taking
center stage, and this volume aims to contribute to the understanding of these processes.
This compilation contains contributions that
- cover various models used to address the interactional nature of acculturatio
- investigate dual identification with ethno-religious groups and mainstream civic organizations
among second-generation immigrants
- square the premises of contact hypothesis - that interpersonal contacts between in- and
out-groups have the potential to reduce prejudice and stereotypes under the appropriate
conditions - with the context