Transforming the space of distinctions. Integration of ethnocultural minorities – the experience of Germany

Abstract

Its status as the former centre of a powerful empire and a modern country with a dynamic economy makes Russia an attractive destination for global waves of migrants, as well as a country with significant internal migration. However, like other European countries Russia has faced problems with aggressive and negative attitudes to different ethnic minorities, and would benefit from coherent and helpful policies to help migrant integration into Russian society. This article looks at the development of German integration policy. Although Germany’s conditions differ from those in the Russian Federation, the author argues they represent a valuable example for the development of a coherent migrant integration policy in the Russian context.

The relatively new status of migration policy in Germany is discussed, and successful labour market integration is shown to depend on a combination of the migrants’ level of German language, their qualifications and professional experience, their familiarity with the German labour market, and their age. The different migrant communities in Germany are considered, with particular attention to country of origin and factors affecting successful integration. Furthermore the major challenges of integration policy are discussed, with special attention paid to education of migrants and the tendency of communities towards being relatively closed. Specific goals and forms of integration policy at the regional and the national level are also reviewed, including examples from Stuttgart in collaboration with the cities for local integration policy (CLIP) network. The issues of education (including pre-school, school and language) and the tailoring of policy to local contexts are argued to be particularly vital for successful migrant policy, and the author argues that a successful strategy involves not just monitoring and research into the success of individual policies, but a long-term approach to challenges faced by migrant communities, which in itself demands complex work based around cultural and language differences as potential barriers to finding work in a new country. The article concludes that the German experience is potentially applicable to future Russian policy on migrants.