Voorbij landsgrenzen: Transnationale betrokkenheid als belemmering voor integratie

Migration experts see ‘transnationalism’ as a new feature of international migration. Immigrants tend to be familiar with different countries, speak several languages and earn their money with transnational economic activities. In this paper we examine whether transnational activities and transnational identities of immigrants in the Netherlands impede their integration in Dutch society. We interviewed 300 immigrants from six countries: the USA, Japan, Iraq, Former-Yugoslavia, Morocco and the Dutch Antilles. Our analysis shows that transnational activities and identities are an obvious part of immigrant live. Only a few immigrants refrain from transnational activities all together, although transnational involvement becomes less significant when immigrants live longer in the Netherlands. Involvement in transnational activities is strongly associated with a strong identification with (relatives in) the country of origin. We found that transnational involvement in general does not impede integration. Of all immigrant groups, Americans and former Yugoslav's appear to be most involved in transnational activities — these groups are not known as less integrated. Respondents from groups that are known as less integrated (especially Moroccans and Antillians) are not more involved in transnational activities en do not identify themselves more with their country of origin than other groups. However, within the Moroccan and Antillian groups those respondents with the weakest labor market positions are the strongest involved in transnational activities. This might confirm the fear that for some segments of the immigrant population imperfect integration intensifies because it goes hand in hand with strong orientations towards the countries of origin and turning one's back on Dutch society.