Migrants' community participation and social integration in urban areas: A scoping review

Abstract

Social integration is a growing concern in global migration studies, and community participation is a way to promote migrants' social integration. This scoping review aims to determine how migrants' community participation influences their social integration in urban areas. A literature search was conducted to identify studies in English published between January 2011 and July 2021. Twenty-eight documents met the inclusion criteria. Three key elements of community participation were identified: 1) social capital, 2) the way of using public space, and 3) community participation strategies. Community participation assists migrants in dealing with inequality, marginalization, and rural-urban adaptation in developing countries. Furthermore, it exercises a mediating role in solving community problems and alleviating tensions between migrants and locals in developed countries. Community participation also helps international migrants tackle cross-cultural/ethnic challenges and compensates internal migrants for institutional segregation. Overall, community participation can fulfill migrants' instant needs, expand their social network, and facilitate psychological integration; however, it does not necessarily contribute to social integration when the participation environment is biased and lacks meaningful encounters. Finally, three research gaps are highlighted: the distinction between integration into a migrant community and broader society, the degree of participation, and a gender perspective.