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Conflicting Experiences With Welcoming Encounters: Narratives of Newly Arrived Refugees in the Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Younes Younes

    (Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Halleh Ghorashi

    (Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Elena Ponzoni

    (Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Personal networks can be both enabling and constraining in inclusion practices. This study focuses on the contribution of a particular neighborhood initiative for refugees in Amsterdam. Earlier studies have shown that in the specific context of the Netherlands’ welfare state, institutional or citizen initiatives can constrain the actual inclusion of refugees. These studies argue that good intentions do not necessarily lead to inclusion because hierarchal relations reproduce subtle exclusionary structures that limit refugees’ inclusion as equals. Yet, building social contacts with locals is essential for inclusion. This article shows the simultaneous presence of inclusion and exclusion by engaging with narratives from Syrian refugees participating in a six‐month housing project initiated in an Amsterdam neighborhood. Residents and volunteers shared responsibilities for organizing daily life in the project. The result was an unexpected combination of Granovetter’s weak and strong ties, what we call “hybrid ties,” that were embedded within neighborhood dynamics and networks. Despite occasional clashes in expectations, this community‐based housing project enabled specific forms of personal relationships (through hybrid ties) that were essential in refugee participants’ later inclusion in the Netherlands.

Suggested Citation

  • Younes Younes & Halleh Ghorashi & Elena Ponzoni, 2021. "Conflicting Experiences With Welcoming Encounters: Narratives of Newly Arrived Refugees in the Netherlands," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(4), pages 222-231.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:9:y:2021:i:4:p:222-231
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Van Laer, Koen & Janssens, Maddy, 2014. "Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Exploring the hybrid identity narratives of ethnic minority professionals," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 186-196.
    2. Robert Larruina & Kees Boersma & Elena Ponzoni, 2019. "Responding to the Dutch Asylum Crisis: Implications for Collaborative Work between Civil Society and Governmental Organizations," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(2), pages 53-63.
    3. Maria Charlotte Rast & Halleh Ghorashi, 2018. "Dancing with ‘The Other’: Challenges and Opportunities of Deepening Democracy through Participatory Spaces for Refugees," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 188-198.
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    Cited by:

    1. Miranda J. Lubbers, 2021. "In Good Company? Personal Relationships, Network Embeddedness, and Social Inclusion," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(4), pages 203-210.

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