Young adult migrants' social experiences in Sweden: ‘Melting pot’ and ‘salad bowl’ perspectives on social integration

Abstract

Framed within the social constructionist interpretive phenomenological approach, I explore the perceptions and social experiences of two Arab girls living in Sweden. A phenomenological interpretive analysis was used to examine the unstructured in-depth interviews. The research focuses on the migrants' perceptions of social integration framed as a ‘melting pot’ to a ‘salad bowl’ integration. The ‘melting pot’ is a metaphor for assimilationists' perspectives on integration which means melting down into a new identity while losing oneself. This was expressed as submission, drawing a line of ‘differences’ between ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ integration. Contrary, ‘salad bowl’ is a metaphor for social integration as a process of creating and nurturing social connections that lead to co-existence with trust, reciprocity, and a sense of belonging. I present a two-fold argument connecting social resilience and social integration as the foundation of migrants' social experiences in the host country: (1) the visibility of migrants as ‘beings’ rather than ‘becomings’ should guide the pragmatic approach to integration; and (2) the social and political space for migrants should include their voices and engagement in right-based policies, as well as a shared sense of responsibilities, connectedness, and co-existence.