Example Of Ethnography In Spain

In 2007, Spain was recorded to have 5 million registered immigrants in its local municipalities, which is a staggering amount in comparison to the 180, 000 immigrants in 1990 (Abrahams, 2014, p.118). This is not surprising as with the widespread popularity of globalization, it has been easy for people to migrate from one country to another. Moreover, the widening gap between the rich and the poor has generated an influx of immigrants towards affluent countries, hoping to get a better life for themselves and their family. This significant change in Spain’s immigration history, however, has resulted in the rising tensions between newcomers and Spanish-born citizens. This is particularly salient in the workforce as feelings of mistrust and suspicion

Ethnography is the systematic collection of empirical data that focuses on culture and people. In the context of immigration, ethnography becomes useful as studying the host nationals and their culture closely helps socio-cultural anthropologists understand how host nationals frame immigration and what elicits their responses. Tracy Abrahams, author of Using Ethnography to Inform Policy and Programs for the Integration of Immigrants: A Case Study in Andalusia, Spain suggests that because culture develops in a method where it guides people in dealing with social difficulties, it plays a pivotal role in planning frameworks to better the integration of immigrants through policies and programs (Abrahams, 2014, p. 119). Furthermore, as presented in previous paragraphs, when the methods for social integration of immigrants, or lack thereof, does not compliment with the values and approaches of the locals, tension arises between the newcomers and host nationals (Abrahams, 2014, p. 119). Abrahams conducted her ethnographic study in Andalusia and through a plethora of anonymous interviews, has gathered patterns on how Andalusian locals respond to immigration. Many of the interviewees’ responses presented themes of “mutual respect,” “tolerance” and “adaptation” (Abrahams, 2014, p. 124). Andalusian locals explain that in order for diversity to

This can be achieved through the creation of immigration policies that can result in a cohesive social integration. Due to the fact that immigration is a recent phenomenon in Spain, immigration policies have focused more on policing irregular and undocumented immigrants, instead of developing policies that will help the recent immigrants integrate themselves socially and culturally and thus will ease the host nationals’ suspicion, mistrust and insecurity towards the newcomers. The lack of focus on the latter has exacerbated such feelings and has allowed it to materialize itself in the form of contentious acts in the workplace. Results from ethnographic data interpreted by socio-cultural anthropologists can be used in framing educational programs that will acquaint host nationals with multiculturalism as well as teach immigrants about local contexts that will be met with positivity with host nationals (Abrahams, 2014, p. 129). However, these programs should focus more on host nationals understanding immigrants’ decision to migrate to another country. Many immigrants do not leave behind everything they have at home to take the locals’ jobs away from them. Instead, their decision is often caused by poverty, unemployment and even civil war in their home countries as most immigrants, as aforementioned, originate from less affluent countries. As