Methodology

Migration into and within the Europe in the 21st century is best understood not just as a single event in a person’s life. Analysts need a perspective which identifies the complex set of socio-economic processes and phenomena which influence human mobility. The changing significance of national borders within an increasingly globalised world means that migration can no longer be understood merely by the application of analytical terms such as ‘push-pull’ factors. New typologies of migrant types are needed, as are theoretical approaches and methodologies which enable researchers to ‘capture’ the complex social realities of migration and integration.

The researchers of EUMARGINS will collect a great set of information concerning young immigrants' experiences. The qualitative part of the project is a combination of a biographical and an ethnographical research design. Recruitment of informants and data collection will take place from January 2009 to September 2010.  

In line with the projects’ methodological framework, an extensive secondary data collection and analysis will be conducted in the first phase of the project. The results of this first stage of the project will be published in a book that discusses the European conditions for inclusion and exclusion of young adult immigrants. Relevant contextual conditions within the seven countries will be identified, including the different political, juridical, historical, economic and social factors relevant for understanding the inclusion and exclusion of young adult immigrants. Collecting and analyzing prior research on migration, integration and youth is equally an important task of this phase, and finally the country specific information collection will set the ground for a cross-cutting analysis among all seven participant countries.

The art of comparison always involves establishing shared generalisations about the nature of the social world.  These sociological premises provide a logical structure for what then is being compared. In the following, some descriptions and facts are given. These apply to all of the seven EUMARGINS' research sites.