The creation of the post of Minister of State for Integration in 2007 was welcomed by many migrants, members of ethnic minorities, NGOs and academics working in this field.
It was read by many as the Government’s determination to take integration seriously and work actively towards making sure that new migrants become an integral part of Irish society.
However, others – like me – read it a little more critically as part of the EU’s determination to batten down the hatches of inward migration, while ‘integrating’ those who are already here.
Integration is the last resport employed by plural societies in order to manage the problem of ethnic and racial difference. In Ireland, its adoption is portrayed as the result of learning from the mistakes of both assimilationism (see: France) and multiculturalism (see: Britain). But in essence, integration insists that migrants ‘do things our own way’ without asking what this way actually is.
Our criticism was justified when, at the very start of the recession, the NCCRI – an advisory body dealing with racial equality – was closed down, the Equality Authority had its funding slashed, and the budget of the Office of the Minister for Integration itself was cut by a quarter.
Despite criticism of his vision of an ‘intercultural’ Ireland, the first Minister for Integration, Conor Lenihan, made a genuine effort to get to know the sector. He took part in all events organised by migrant-led associations and supporting NGOs, got to know the players and published the baseline document informing Ireland’s integration policies, Migration Nation. His replacement by John Curran was regretted, as it seemed that he had little time for the integration part of his remit.
But things may be set for a turnaround as we welcome the third incumbent to the post, Mary White. In her first interview with The Irish Times, Minister White made definite commitments. Though speaking in a personal vein, White outlined her wishes to overhaul the asylum system and shorten asylum seekers’ waiting time, to allow asylum seekers to work while they are waiting for decisions, and to make life a little easier for those still stuck in direct provision holding camps, even only by allowing them to prepare their own food.
Importantly, Minister White made a commitment to “root out pockets of racism” in Irish society. Seen as a response to the killing of Toyosi Shitta-bey, this is highly commendable. However, I want to remind the minister that Irish racism is not simply about ‘pockets’ or ‘bad apples’ but about institutional racism.
Improving the immigration regime by tackling the work permit system; regularising undocumented migrants; easing the citizenship regulations, addressing gender-based racial discrimination; and, above all, improving the unjust asylum system – all of this is about tacking state racism, not merely seeing racism in terms of isolated incidents.
Minister White has also revived Conor Lenihan’s promise to establish an integration taskforce, while promising to set up a ministerial council on integration and an integration commission made up of academic and civil service experts. This is all very welcome, though I want to caution her against top-down integrationism, which does not take on board migrants’ own activism and expertise.
So while I wish Minister White a fruitful term of office, she has her work cut out for her.
Dr Ronit Lentin is head of the MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies at the Department of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin. Her column appears fortnightly in Metro Éireann
