Unsettling Integration : Decolonial Acts of Belonging

This book critically examines the idea of refugee integration, challenging its colonial underpinnings and structural asymmetries while exploring alternative possibilities for inclusion. Through case studies in five countries, it delves into how education, labor, and social participation can foster just and inclusive political arrangements.

This book critically examines the concept of refugee integration, challenging its colonial underpinnings and structural asymmetries while exploring alternative possibilities for inclusion. Through grounded case studies in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, and Kenya, it delves into how education, labor, and social participation can foster more just and inclusive political arrangements. By centering the lived experiences of refugees navigating hostile environments and restrictive policies, the volume highlights spaces of agency, dignity, and relation. Rather than offering a singular model, it invites readers to imagine a decolonial politics of inclusion that resists categorization and prioritizes ethical participation beyond assimilation. This work rethinks the moral and political imagination of refuge, charting a critical path toward solidarity and justice. The volume is aimed at scholars, policymakers, activists, and students engaged in migration studies, political science, sociology, and decolonial theory. It will also resonate with practitioners working in refugee support, human rights advocacy, and international development. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.