Garnier, Céline
(2019)
Becoming Dutch.
Master thesis, Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation.
Abstract
This thesis examines how a focus on moral aspects of citizenship in the Netherlands interacts with Syrian forced migrants’ experiences. This is accomplished by analyzing the Participation Declaration Trajectory, a novel part of the civic integration exam that obliges newcomers to learn Dutch norms and values. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups are used to gain insight in the values that are presented in the Participation Declaration, the responses that are evoked and the long term effects that result from this. The conceptual tools of multiple secularities and homonationalism are applied to analyze if the Dutch identity is portrayed in opposition to an Islamic Other. The dialogical self theory is used to analyze how forced migrants position themselves in response to this. Although forced migrants find the content of the Participation Declaration Trajectory a truthful representation of the Dutch identity, we found that the trajectory elicits feelings of marginalization that are expressed by reserved or admissive responses. The reserved response represents a form of counter positioning in this regard. These feelings of marginalization are mediated by the extent to which homonationalism and secularity for the sake of national integration or secularity for the sake of individual liberties are present in the sessions, as well as by the extent to which the content is perceived as repetitive. Overall, the main effect of the Participation Declaration is sending out the symbolic message that forced migrants will culturally adapt during their integration process. With this conclusion, this thesis criticizes the moral citizenship approach to integration. Instead of benefitting forced migrants, this approach leads to a distinction between first and second class citizens and contributes to exclusion and vulnerability of forced migrants.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
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| Degree programme: |
Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation |
| Academic year: |
2019-2020 |
| Date of delivery: |
21 Aug 2020 17:47 |
| Last modified: |
21 Aug 2020 17:47 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/545 |
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