Research in Ethnicity and Migration

International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) or Ethnic and Migration Studies is a strong interdisciplinary research field at Linköping University. Below this research area is described comprehensively, with entries to researches personal websites and activities in the area across all over Linköping university.

The research on international migration and ethnic relations looks for causes of, conditions for and consequences of international migration, rasism, discrimination and intergration processes and policies. A central issue is economic, political, social and cultural processes in both the 'old' and 'new' homeland that enables or impedes migration and inclusion in society.

Migration has become a central and controversial policy issue in most countries. It is also linked to globalisation and labour market and welfare changes. Previously, 'ethnicity' was often described as essential qualities and characteristics of certain groups, often linked to 'culture'. Today the focus lies more on power relations and distribution issues between majority society and migrant groups.  Hence, an important question for research is thus how 'ethnicity' is constructed and what consequences this have, in the labour market, the living community and housing market, in education and the judicial system at large.  It also examines the overall picture of the struggle for inclusion and equality and how ethnicity can be understood in relation to other dimensions of inequality such as class and gender.

The research field mobilizes a wide range of scientific methods in the humanities, social and behavioural sciences; quantitative methods such as statistical analysis, questionnaires and surveys as well as qualitative methods such as participant observation, interviews, policy analysis, historical studies and discourse analysis. Disciplinarywise, the field include among others, sociology, economics, social anthropology, political science, history, culture geography and gender studies.

At Linköping University the hub for the field is REMESO - Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society. Below are links to REMESO and other environments with ethnicity and migration research. Look also at the list of LiU-researchers to the right, or the calendar for seminars in the area to the left.

REMESO (Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society)

(Look also at the REMESO Research Database, for a closer study of ongoing and finished projects at the Institute.)

Transnationellt socialt arbete (Transnational Social Work)

The Ethics of Migration

The Last Phase of Life as Care Context (NISAL)