Stachowski & Rasmussen: International Migrants in Rural Areas

In Growing Superdiverse, Growing Apart – Modes of Incorporation of International Migrants in Rural Areas, authors Jakub Stachowski and Bente Rasmussen (both Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) analyze rural resident perceptions of international migration.

Expanding populations of international migrants play an important part in an increasingly globalized world. In recent years, rural regions across Norway without prior community experience with migration have become “hosts” to international migrants. In this article, the authors examine how these host towns perceive the impact of migration on their communities.

The authors conducted interviews with a variety of community officials and representatives in which they discussed various topics related to international migration. Specifically, the authors focused on two different rural locations in Norway. By comparing the results from these interviews, the authors identify both perceptual similarities and differences between the communities.

For example, both communities had different perceptions of international migrants based on whether the migrant was a refugee or a labor migrant. Additionally, the authors discuss how differences in a region’s history with immigration impacted the overall perception of migrants’ role in the community. Where one community viewed labor migrants as part of the Norwegian population, another community with less experience described international migrants as “exotic.”

The article provides a unique insight into the minds of rural community members in Norway through interview excerpts and summaries of community standpoints. International migration is growing on an international scale and although this research is limited in scope, the article provides examples of what will only be an increasingly relevant topic.