Citizens have responded to newcomers in the Netherlands with acts of solidarity and programmes to support integration, often in response to increasingly restrictive government policies. In a previously published study by the primary author, a critical discourse analysis was conducted of texts used in …

How societies respond to the challenges of human migration is one of the most morally defining and socioeconomically consequential policy decisions of our time. As anti-immigrant parties across the Global North seek to capitalize on public concerns about immigrant inclusion and border control, immigration …

European civic integration programmes claim to provide newcomers with necessary tools for successful participation. Simultaneously, these programmes have been criticised for being restrictive, market-driven and for working towards an implicit goal of limiting migration. Authors have questioned how these …

Background Refugees encounter texts such as course books, pamphlets and exams during mandatory integration in the Netherlands. Texts present explicit or implicit messages to refugees on “successful” integration and citizenship. The What’s the Problem Represented to Be? (WPR) approach from Carol Bacchi, …

Background: Globalisation trends such as increased migration to and within European countries have led to even greater cultural diversity in European societies. Cultural diversity increases the demand of cultural competency amongst professionals entering their work field. In particular, healthcare professionals …

This paper reports on the collective ideas of the occupational scientists and therapists who attended the “Refugees – Addressing Key Social Issues” think tank at the Occupational Science Conference held in Hildesheim (2017). Forced migration is recognized as a prevalent issue in today’s society. Forced …

“The thing you read the most as a refugee when you start your integration programme is ‘pay’. The second thing is ‘You must complete’ and the third is ‘Take a test’. How at home would you feel if this was what you read and were told repeatedly? Are there other ways to assess if a person is becoming part …

Theoretical works in occupational therapy and occupational science have explored the refugee experience through an occupational lens, and explored the potential for occupational therapy in this field. Currently, there exists a lack of literature which includes refugees in these explorations. Recognising …