Cultural Recognition and Democratic Participation: Immigrant Organisations in Oslo

Abstract

The focus is on public policies on immigrant incorporation and integration in Norwegian society and whether immigrant organisations are imbued with the same norms and arrangements that have historically marked the voluntary sector in Norway. The chapter discerns at least two different theoretical models: one sees immigrant organisations as instruments of national integration, and the aim is assimilationist in the sense that this should serve to reduce the political salience of cultural diversity; the other posits immigrant organisations as elements in a multicultural policy and as important sites of cultural recognition. The main policy template is the Nordic tradition of voluntary organisation whose main justification is democratic: foster participation and political socialisation and training. Reality on the ground is not always aligned with these ideals.