On the Issue of Cultural Integration of Immigrants

Abstract

In this thesis, I look at the issue of integration of immigrants from the communitarian philosophical perspective. Communitarianism rejects the liberal view of the ontological precedence of individuals over the society and maintains that, from the ethical point of view, the community comes first (Etzioni, 2004; Tam, 1998). At the same time, it fully accepts the liberal precept of defending the fundamental human rights of all people (Griffin, 2008; Carens, 2013). However, the interests and values of national communities take precedence over those of the newcomers (Miller, 2000; Orgad, 2015).

I propose a pragmatic approach to the issue of immigration taking into account the legitimate concerns of both the host population and the immigrants. It is a policy of accepting as many immigrants as could be successfully integrated into the host society, but not more. Unless the newcomers become culturally integrated with the members of the host society, the divisions between these groups will only widen bringing internal strife, ghettoization, and criminalization. In order to preclude such developments, both the state and society institutions should work with the immigrants to achieve the optimal balance of integration and accommodation.

Carens, Joseph. The Ethics of Immigration. Oxford University Press, 2013. Etzioni, Amitai, et al. (ed.) The Communitarian Reader: Beyond the Essentials. Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. Griffin, James. On Human Rights. Oxford University Press, 2008. Miller, David. Citizenship and National Identity. Polity Press, 2000. Orgad, Liav. The Cultural Defense of Nations: A Liberal Theory of Majority Rights. Oxford University Press, 2015. Tam, Henry. Communitarianism: A New Agenda for Politics and Citizenship. New York University Press, 1998.