Asylum seekers in diaspora : Turks and Iranians in Sweden

Abstract

This chapter investigates the integration of Turkish and Iranian immigrants in Sweden. The analytical focus is on the complex network of ties between institutional actors located at origin and at destination, paying special attention to the role of the former, which is referred to as the 'origin effect'. Integration emerges from the analysis as both a multifaceted and tangled process: both Turkish and Iranian immigrant groups show high naturalization rates, but they present significant difficulties with regard to education and inclusion in the labour market. Looking 'at origin' reveals crucial elements, related to the set of actors and institutions in the sending countries, which are important to explaining the respective integration processes at destination. Despite the complexity of providing a clear picture of the origin effect, which appears – for each group – ambivalent and strictly related to the actors involved, to the relations among them, and to historic migratory profiles, this chapter offers new and interesting insights for the study of immigrant integration.