Multiculturalism, Integration and Human Dignity The Case of Caritas Norway
Abstract
Caritas Norway does an important work in the integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the Norwegian society. Understanding to what extent this organization takes into account multiculturalism theories and the value of human dignity in this integration work is the aim of this research. In this sense, the theoretical framework of this study is based on two theoretical models of multiculturalism and one model concerning human dignity. The method used is qualitative based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews including two perspectives, on one side the Caritas’ staff and on the other side the migrants and one asylum seeker helped by the organization. The results show coherency of both views concerning the obstacles to integration in Norwegian society. The work of Caritas can be seen as related to the categories of multiculturalism of the individual, human dignity and politics of recognition, which provide the tools to overcome the obstacles to integration of refugees and migrants in Norway