Transnationalism as a Research Paradigm and Its Relevance for Integration

Abstract

This chapter reviews the state of the art of scholarship on the transnationalism-integration nexus. It examines the view emanating from the existing literature on the relation between immigrants’ transnational activities and ties to the country of origin, on the one hand, and “integration” in the receiving country, on the other. The review is guided by the popular political question: Can transnationalism and integration be mutually beneficial, or is it a zero-sum relation? The joint reading of the literature on transnationalism in Europe points to two observations. First, transnationalism is costly. Economic transnationalism requires financial capital, for instance, for remittances or investments. Sociocultural transnationalism requires social capital in the form of available contacts, while political transnationalism requires resources to work politics in the homeland. Immigrants who are low on economic, sociocultural, or political resources are less likely to engage in transnationalism. How this relates to integration depends on the type and form of transnationalism being considered. It is relatively inexpensive for immigrants to be involved in country of residence transnational activities, particularly if this is paid for by homeland-based actors such as a political party. Thus, only those who have enough capital—implying a degree of integration in the host country—can afford to engage in transnational activities. Second, many studies show that what happens “there” has consequences for what happens “here”. Feelings of exclusion in the homeland may foster integration in the host county, while factual exclusion may trigger more radical forms of transnationalism to change the situation there.