Kimathi has followed the Ph.D. programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences, with a spesialisation in Sociology and Social Work.
- Trial lecture starts at 10.00
- Public defence starts at 12.00
Title of trial lecture: "Discuss the usefulness and limitations of the concept of integration for empirical sociological research".
Disputation chair: Dean Leif Skiftenes Flak
Assessment committee:
- First opponent: Eva Gulløv, professor, Aarhus University
- Second opponent: Anders Vassenden, professor, University of Stavanger
- Chair of assessment committee: Heidi Esma Dahl Bønnhoff, associate professor, UiA
Supervisors in the doctoral work:
- Main supervisor: Professor Ann Christin Nilsen, UiA
- Co-supervisor: Professor Ove Skarpenes, UiA
Summary of thesis
Integration of refugees in Norwegian ECEC centers
Integration of refugees has been highlighted as a challenge for liberal democracies. The question of immigration and integration has featured among the top three political issues in every election campaign in Norway in the recent past. In Norway, the welfare state is responsible for the integration of refugees and publicly funded institutions play a significant role in this process. For instance, Early Childhood Education and Care centers commonly known as “kindergartens” are institutionalised and receive funding from the state. Moreover, ECEC centers have gained attention for being among the first point of contact for refugee families in their host countries. This thesis explores the social organisation of integration work in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers.
The thesis applies explorative institutional ethnographic qualitative methods and the findings are based on interviews with ECEC professionals and refugee parents. The thesis makes two overarching contributions. Firstly, that the discourse of safety mediated through the interpretation of authoritative institutional texts and other social technologies inform the ECEC professionals’ perception and practice of integration. Secondly, the thesis argues that integration work is characterised by cultural tensions whereby ECEC professionals expect refugees to achieve certain markers that define who is perceived as integrated. The thesis further interrogates whether integration takes a relational stance or a coercive stance. This relates to whether the ECEC teachers’ professional obligation is to make the refugees “behave Norwegian” or if the professionals embrace collaboration with refugee parents in achieving integration.
What to do as an online audience member
The disputation is open to the public. To follow the trial lecture and the public defence online, register on Zoom.
We ask online audience members to join no earlier than 10 minutes in advance. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time.
Opponent ex auditorio:
Deadline for the public to pose questions is during the break between the two opponents. Questions ex auditorio can be submitted to Leif Skiftenes Flak.
Contact person
- cecilie.mawdsley@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 23 82