Understanding Diversity Training by USCG Auxiliary National Diversity Department
Cultural diversity management in ireland
1. Effective Management of Cultural Diversity in
Ireland: The role of immigrants and host
Communities.
A Presentation at Cois Tine, Cork
by Olaniyi Kolawole
College of Arts, Celtic Studies and
Social Science, University College
Cork.
07/11/2012
Email: niyikolawole@gmail.com
2. Proposed schedule of activities
Session 1: 10am-10:10am: Introduction of participants
10:05-10:30: Introduction to key concepts and
terminologies
10:30-10:50: General discussion
10:50-11:05: Short Tea break
11:05-11:30- Introduction to the specific concept of
integration
11:30-11:50- Break participants into groups to discuss
about their experiences of integration in Ireland
11:50-12:10: Break
12:10-12:30: Presentation of group work and interactive
session
12:30-12:45: Exploring barriers to successful integration
of immigrants in Ireland
12:45-13:00- Interactive session and general discussion
4. Aim of the Session:
The aim of this session is to help participants
understand the dynamics of immigration and
integration policies in the Irish context and how
as individuals, we can leverage the opportunity
immigration and immigrants bring to the
advantage of our society.
Therefore, basically, we will be looking at what,
why and how of immigration and integration
policies.
5. Context of this training session
• Some background definitions
• Statistics
• Policy responses
• Outlook
6. Why are these issues important?
• Rise in immigration is a Europe-wide phenomenon.
Major debate as to how well to manage and
integrate immigrants now taking place within EU
e.g. Seville European Council in 2002.
• Asylum issue in particular has been a central issue
in public debate, controversy, misinformation
• Changing demographics in EU including Ireland:
European population is not replacing itself.
• Immigrants of one kind or another are here to
stay. No longer a question of whether they will, but
how they can, fit in - and how we need to change
our approach.
• Service providers, both statutory and voluntary,
need to address the new realities.
• Need for much more fundamental policy debate.
7. This morning’s session on key
issues
• Small workshop exercise
• Terminologies and concepts
• Recent developments in Ireland
• Legislation and policy in Ireland
8. Workshop exercise
• Take a sheet of plain paper
• I will give you a list of key words
• Write down the first five words that
come to your mind when you hear each
of these key words
• At the end of the exercise fold the paper
and hand it up. Do not sign it.
• This exercise is totally confidential
9. Terminology and Concepts (1)
• Emigration, immigration, migration
• Voluntary and forced migration
• Economic; humanitarian; family reunification
• Asylum seekers (programme and convention)
and refugees; leave to remain, including
parents of Irish-born children
• EU/EEA labour migrants
• Non-EEA labour migrants
• ‘non-nationals’
• Reception/admission
• Integration/settlement
10. what is international immigration and
who are International immigrants?
International migration could broadly be
defined as, the permanent or semi-permanent
change of residence from one country to
another country or the mobility of populations
across national borders (Lee, 1966: 49).
International Migrant is any person who
changes his or her usual country of residence
(IOM, 1997)
11. Statistics of Migrants in Ireland
Total number of migrants in Ireland according to 2011
census: 544,357 (i.e. 12% of the population).
Top 10 Nationalities in Ireland
Nationality Population Percentage
Poland 122,585 22.50%
UK 112,259 20.60%
Lithuanian 36,683 6.70%
Latvian 20,593 3.80%
Nigerian 17,642 3.20%
Romanian 17,304 3.20%
Indian 16,986 3.10%
Filipino 12,791 2.30%
German 11,305 2.10%
American 11,015 2.00%
12.
13.
14. Categories of Migrants in Ireland
1. The European Economic Area (EEA) citizens
2. Non-EEA citizens (this category requires employment permit.
Employment permits is a document which non-EEA nationals
must have in order to be allowed to work in Ireland. This
term originally referred to work permits, working visas and
work authorisations. However, since 1 February 2007 there
are 3 categories of employment permit: Green Cards, work
permits, and intra-company transfer.
3. Asylum seekers: A person who is seeking to be recognised as
a Convention refugee under the Geneva Convention 1951
4. Refugees: A person who is recognised as being a refugee
under the criteria set down in the 1951 Geneva Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees, as implemented by
legislation in Ireland. A Convention refugee will receive
residence stamp no. 4 and will not need an employment
permit or business permission to work in Ireland.
5. Persons with leave to remain are persons who may not meet
the full conditions needed to qualify for full status under the
1951 Convention but who may, for a variety of reasons,
nonetheless be granted leave to remain in the state (Coakley
and Mac Einri, 2006).
6. Students and others
15. What is integration?
Integration is the general term for the process
whereby foreigners become members of our society
Models of Integration:
• Assimilation requires them to become ‘like us’ if
they want to fit in - ‘more Irish than the Irish
themselves’
• Multiculturalism attempts to achieve co-existence of
differing cultures in the same society, with core
shared values.
16. Irish Model of Integration
Interculturalism: This model sees integration as
two way process and consultation with minority
ethnic groups and their representative organisations
formed an essential part of this process.
•1997: National Consultative Committee on Racism
and Interculturalism (NCCRI) was established. NCCRI
is closed since the end of December 2008.
•1999: it launched the Department of Justice’s
programme for integration termed ‘Integration: A
Two-Way Process’.
•2001: a public awareness programme, a three year
initiative tagged ‘KNOW RACISM’ was launched to
educate people about diversity and racism.
18. Terminology and Concepts (2)
Stereotypes
are qualities assigned to groups of people related
to their race, nationality and sexual orientation,
to name a few.
19. British Stereotypes of the Irish
• Violence
• Dirt/Slatternliness
• Anarchy
• Lack of civilisation/savagery
• Ingratitude
20. American Stereotypes of the Irish
• Gender stereotypes
• Class – Irish as servants
• Politics and corruption
• Religion
• Irish fond of fighting
• Racial inferiority
25. How the Irish were portrayed in writings
in the 19th century
‘I am haunted by the human chimpanzees I saw along
that hundred miles of horrible country...to see white
chimpanzees is dreadful; if they were black one would
not see it so much, but their skins, except where
tanned by exposure, are as white as ours’- Cambridge
historian Charles Kingsley, letter to his wife from
Ireland, 1860
‘...more like squalid apes than human beings. ...unstable
as water. ...only efficient military despotism [can
succeed in Ireland] ...the wild Irish understand only
force’
- James Anthony Froude, Professor of history, Oxford
28. Xenophobia
• Literally, a fear of foreigners. A generalised dislike of,
and prejudice against foreigners.
• Racism is based on stereotypes or generalisation
based on our alleged membership of defined and
separate ‘races’. Xenophobia is a more general
dislike of any foreigners (host society people of
colour may of course also be victims of racism).
29. Prejudice and Discrimination
• Prejudice is an attitude, an unreasonable pre-
judgement of an individual based on stereotyping or
labelling
• Discrimination is an act which proceeds from an
attitude of prejudice
• Anyone, whether host community or minority, can be
prejudiced. But discrimination cannot take place
unless one has the power to do so.
• Hence formula prejudice+power = discrimination
30. UNESCO definition of racism
Racism
Any theory which involves the claim that racial or
ethnic groups are inherently superior or inferior, thus
implying that some would be entitled to dominate or
eliminate others, presumed to be inferior, or which
bases value judgements on racial differentiation, has
no scientific foundation and is contrary to the moral
and ethical principles of humanity.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) General Conference 27
November 1978. Declaration on Race and Racial
Prejudice.
31. UN International Convention of Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969)
Any distinction, exclusion, restriction or
preference based on race, colour, descent, or
national or ethnic origin which has the purpose
or effect of nullifying or impairing the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an
equal footing, of human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural or any other field of
public life
Note: belief in “racial superiority” not essential
32. Are Irish people racist?
• Distinguish between:
– Fear of difference and/or change
– Competition for scarce resources
– ‘Hard-core’ racism
• But note
– Racism was present before arrival of new
migrants
– Irish migrants have a mixed record abroad
– As a society we have not valued or accepted
difference easily e.g. Jews, Protestants
– Ongoing issue of attitudes to Travellers
33. Forms of racialization and racism in Ireland
• Anti-Traveler racism in Ireland
• Anti-Asylum seekers/immigrant racism
• Labour market exclusion of migrants
• Islamophobia
• Attack on single mothers
• Attack on dole claimants
34. The way forward for integration in Ireland
• Acknowledgement of and increase awareness about the
present cultural diversity.
• Proper education and information about the cultural,
social and economic advantages of a cohesive society.
Dispel the myths about immigrants’ unwillingness to
integrate and Irish peoples’ unwillingness to accept
migrants.
• Anti-racism training to target both immigrant and non-
immigrant communities.
• Stop universalising the particular. Judge individuals on
the basis of their character and not their membership of
a particular gender, social, racial, ethnic group.
• Concentrating and focusing on our similarities rather than
dissimilarities.
• Our cultural differences must be recognised and diversity
harnessed to the advantage of all . This will be done by
giving everyone the opportunity to participate (inclusion).
