Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden
This article investigates the role of language cafés as venues where newly arrived migrants to Sweden can socialize and practice the target language. More specifically, we aim to explore how café organizers and volunteers orient to social inclusion as they are interviewed about the goals of the loca...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Social Inclusion |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7177 |
| _version_ | 1797652097519321088 |
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| author | Ali Reza Majlesi Gunilla Jansson Silvia Kunitz |
| author_facet | Ali Reza Majlesi Gunilla Jansson Silvia Kunitz |
| author_sort | Ali Reza Majlesi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article investigates the role of language cafés as venues where newly arrived migrants to Sweden can socialize and practice the target language. More specifically, we aim to explore how café organizers and volunteers orient to social inclusion as they are interviewed about the goals of the local café and engage in talk‐in‐interaction with the visitors during video‐recorded café sessions. At the methodological level, we rely on ethnomethodologically informed ethnography and conversation analysis, through which we adopt an emic approach to data analysis by taking into account the members’ interpretation of their social world and the actions they accomplish in it. Our analysis uncovers the organizers’ and volunteers’ conceptualization of social inclusion, which they articulate in terms of fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment; they also perceive the mutual benefits derived from the encounters with the migrants at the local café. Overall, the migrants’ views dovetail with the concept of “everyday citizenship,” which highlights the dimensions of belonging, rights, and access to resources for social participation as constitutive of social inclusion. These findings highlight the perceived role of language cafés as a way to act on the existing social reality to transform the local community into an inclusive, equal, and integrated society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:25:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6953ac7cd5b0421098d1ce44c7ca4d22 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2803 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:25:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Inclusion |
| spelling | doaj.art-6953ac7cd5b0421098d1ce44c7ca4d222023-10-24T13:19:48ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032023-10-0111413214410.17645/si.v11i4.71773236Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in SwedenAli Reza Majlesi0Gunilla Jansson1Silvia Kunitz2Department of Education, Stockholm University, SwedenDepartment of Swedish Language and Multilingualism, Stockholm University, SwedenDepartment of Culture and Society, Linköping University, SwedenThis article investigates the role of language cafés as venues where newly arrived migrants to Sweden can socialize and practice the target language. More specifically, we aim to explore how café organizers and volunteers orient to social inclusion as they are interviewed about the goals of the local café and engage in talk‐in‐interaction with the visitors during video‐recorded café sessions. At the methodological level, we rely on ethnomethodologically informed ethnography and conversation analysis, through which we adopt an emic approach to data analysis by taking into account the members’ interpretation of their social world and the actions they accomplish in it. Our analysis uncovers the organizers’ and volunteers’ conceptualization of social inclusion, which they articulate in terms of fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment; they also perceive the mutual benefits derived from the encounters with the migrants at the local café. Overall, the migrants’ views dovetail with the concept of “everyday citizenship,” which highlights the dimensions of belonging, rights, and access to resources for social participation as constitutive of social inclusion. These findings highlight the perceived role of language cafés as a way to act on the existing social reality to transform the local community into an inclusive, equal, and integrated society.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7177civic activitiescivil societiesemic perspectivelanguage cafémigrationsocial inclusionsweden |
| spellingShingle | Ali Reza Majlesi Gunilla Jansson Silvia Kunitz Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden Social Inclusion civic activities civil societies emic perspective language café migration social inclusion sweden |
| title | Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden |
| title_full | Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden |
| title_fullStr | Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden |
| title_short | Migrants’ Inclusion in Civil Societies: The Case of Language Cafés in Sweden |
| title_sort | migrants inclusion in civil societies the case of language cafes in sweden |
| topic | civic activities civil societies emic perspective language café migration social inclusion sweden |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7177 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alirezamajlesi migrantsinclusionincivilsocietiesthecaseoflanguagecafesinsweden AT gunillajansson migrantsinclusionincivilsocietiesthecaseoflanguagecafesinsweden AT silviakunitz migrantsinclusionincivilsocietiesthecaseoflanguagecafesinsweden |