From Dutch dispersal to ethnic enclace in the UK: the relationship between segregation and integration examined through the eyes of Somalis

Abstract

Since 2000, a considerable number of Somalis with Dutch passports have started to move from cities and small towns in the Netherlands, which were relatively mixed, to residential environments in the UK with much higher concentrations of Somalis and other immigrants. This paper examines experiences of integration and segregation in the Netherlands and the UK by interviewing some of these Somalis. What do their experiences teach us about segregation and integration? It was found that current understandings of segregation and integration are too focused on cultural aspects, and overlook structural factors that obstruct immigrants’ integration. They also give rise to an inability to imagine immigrants’ own feelings of belonging and their transnational orientations