The effects of Dutch linguistic integration policy on migrants` feelings of belonging, as mediated by Dutch society

Abstract

The linguistic integration policy in the Netherlands is following a trend of toughening immigration stances along economic - neo-liberal and cultural dimensions. The paper tries to identify and track its discursive effects on migrants` subjective feeling of belonging, as it is mediated and further propagated by the Dutch society. In doing so, it follows the framing and problem setting of the policy focusing on language, the media through critical discourse analysis, and migrants` insights through semi-structured interviews. Following this triangulation of methods, the paper will show how the immigration discourse gives rise to power issues and what migrants` coping strategies are.