Insider position and social identities of service providers with immigrant backgrounds in accommodation for asylum seekers

Abstract

This article focuses on the social identities of service providers with immigrant backgrounds in Norwegian reception centres for asylum seekers. Migrant service providers who work with migrant clients are often perceived as ‘insiders’ who understand explicit cultural expectations in intra-group interactions with clients. We explore how the insider position of service providers with immigrant backgrounds in accommodation for asylum seekers is experienced, negotiated and constructed in interaction with asylum seekers and Norwegian colleagues. On the one hand, our findings indicate that service providers with immigrant and refugee background, who are very often themselves ex-residents of reception centres, are seen as an asset for the working environment. On the other hand, the professionalism and loyalty of these workers is often questioned, both by the staff and residents. Migrant workers also risk being accused of ethnic favouritism while they try to provide more emphatic and more culturally and linguistically-adjusted service provision. The article is based on interviews with asylum seekers and service providers of immigrant and non-immigrant background.