Suisse

"Theoretical background and objectives This project considers two common assumptions that arise in the empirical literature on xenophobia—namely that xenophobic attitudes are found mostly among the poorly educated, and that xenophobia mainly concerns immigrants from low social classes and from geographically and culturally disparate nations. These arguments are discussed in the context of the migration of high-skilled Germans to Switzerland, a phenomenon that has increased markedly in the last few years, leading to major controversies. One might expect that the Swiss do not perceive Germans as a cultural threat as they are, at least at first sight, culturally similar. This argument can however be questioned in two ways. We first have to differentiate between objective similarity and subjectively perceived dissimilarity. As it turns out, the cultural difference between Germans and Swiss-Germans is considered to be very large in Switzerland. Second, some argue that boundaries between groups that are culturally very close are not necessarily less fragile. In a second step we question the common generalisation that working class people are more often xenophobic because they fear that immigrants take their jobs. As we are confronted in the case at hand with highly educated immigrants, it might be that in this case well-educated people in high positions feel threatened by the new arrivals. This would disconfirm the argument according to which better-educated people are more tolerant as they are more open-minded and have more cognitive capacities for differentiated perceptions. Research design, data and methodology To investigate our arguments both quantitative and qualitative data are analysed. In a first step, data from a survey conducted in the city of Zurich between October 1994 and March will be analysed. This is so far the only survey that includes relevant questions about German immigrants. More recent data on this topic will be collected in the context of the 2011 Swiss electoral survey (see project 2.5 above). Moreover, data from five focus group interviews with Swiss and Germans will be analysed. On the one hand, this allows us to better understand which arguments Swiss use to justify attitudes towards Germans and which aspects they dislike/criticise for which reasons. On the other hand, we will be in the position to study how Germans think about Swiss, why Germans migrated to Switzerland and how they feel abroad. Findings It turned out that German immigrants put in danger Swiss characteristics as much as immigrants from the Balkans. Socio-economic factors turned out to be relevant, too. Contrary to many other studies I found that education does not improve attitudes towards Germans. At the same time, I found that people who are young and seek to improve their job position are significantly more Germanophobic than those who are satisfied with their current job situation and are already established. It appears that as much as low-skilled workers fear that poorly educated immigrants take their jobs, well-educated Swiss consider German immigrants as competitors on the job market."

Between 2010 and 2021, the percentage increase of Romanian nationals in Switzerland reached 295.1%, a trend likely to continue. Additionally, Romania is the second largest beneficiary of Swiss cohesion funding. It shouldn’t be surprising, therefore, that understanding diasporas and migrant communities is the first step towards evidence-based policymaking in Switzerland. But whom to engage and how? Andra-Lucia Martinescu and Catalina Moisescu explored this question in their policy brief by using the case study of the Romanian diaspora in Switzerland.

This report outlines the findings of a two-year analysis of media coverage of the Indian community in Switzerland. The focus of this study is on issues related to business/investment, crime, education, labour market, culture, integration initiatives and religion. The analysis revealed that the Indian community in Switzerland receives relatively little attention in the media.

Labour Market Integration in Austria, Norway and Switzerland

Protracted humanitarian crisis particularly affects the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. Due to insufficient social protection/public welfare services and based on negotiated rules of intergenerational solidarity, seniors rely on their families (especially women) for support and care. Crisis-induced “survival migration” creates transnational families and raises questions of care for parents remaining in the countries of origin. The fact that little is known about transnational caregiving strategies in the specific context of crisis-induced migration-or the gender dimensions involved in coordinating and performing such care-justifies the need for additional in-depth research to better understand this important subject. The project aims to investigate the perceptions and strategies of transnational care for elderly parents remaining in (crisis-affected) countries of origin, particularly focusing on gender, filial duty and reciprocity and how they structure care dynamics. By combining an intersectional approach with critical agency, subjectivities and individual strategies are conceptualized as interrelated within a broader context of structural inequality and power relations. The project focuses on two cases of protracted humanitarian crisis migration: Syrian migrants in Switzerland and Venezuelan migrants in Chile and Peru. These crisis-induced migratory flows can be read as “South-North” and “South-South” migration and constitute an ideal ground of comparison in the examination of transnational care dynamics. The proposed methodological approach systematically analyzes the perspectives/practices of transnational households and networks by including both sides of the transnational caregiving relationships, consisting of: 40 narrative, problem-centered interviews with Syrian men and women in Switzerland and 100 with Venezuelan men and women in Peru (60) and Chile (40); 20 semi-structured interviews with parents in Syria and 60 with parents in Venezuela; and analysis of legal documents and migration policies. The project will address knowledge gaps in transnational care, gender and migration studies in the context of protracted humanitarian crisis, offering new insight into intergenerational and gendered questions of caregiving, reciprocity and moral duties of filial piety, as well as caregiving negotiations within wider transnational kinship networks. The proposed research will produce original findings that will inform the future design and implementation of undergraduate, master or doctoral-level courses and academic programs at partner universities, as well as in the field of continuing education for professionals and other actors related to issues of migration in protracted humanitarian crises, care and gender. Results are expected to impact public policies and support systems (e.g., social work) addressing migration, caregiving and family dynamics, both within and across relevant countries (Chile, Peru, Switzerland). The project builds on and deepens existing South-South/South-North academic networks by proposing further cooperation between HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland School of Social Work Fribourg (Switzerland), OST-Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP, Peru), the University of Tarapacá (Chile) and the Catholic University Silva Henríquez (Chile).

Protracted humanitarian crisis particularly affects the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. Due to insufficient social protection/public welfare services and based on negotiated rules of intergenerational solidarity, seniors rely on their families (especially women) for support and care. Crisis-induced “survival migration” creates transnational families and raises questions of care for parents remaining in the countries of origin. The fact that little is known about transnational caregiving strategies in the specific context of crisis-induced migration-or the gender dimensions involved in coordinating and performing such care-justifies the need for additional in-depth research to better understand this important subject. The project aims to investigate the perceptions and strategies of transnational care for elderly parents remaining in (crisis-affected) countries of origin, particularly focusing on gender, filial duty and reciprocity and how they structure care dynamics. By combining an intersectional approach with critical agency, subjectivities and individual strategies are conceptualized as interrelated within a broader context of structural inequality and power relations. The project focuses on two cases of protracted humanitarian crisis migration: Syrian migrants in Switzerland and Venezuelan migrants in Chile and Peru. These crisis-induced migratory flows can be read as “South-North” and “South-South” migration and constitute an ideal ground of comparison in the examination of transnational care dynamics. The proposed methodological approach systematically analyzes the perspectives/practices of transnational households and networks by including both sides of the transnational caregiving relationships, consisting of: 40 narrative, problem-centered interviews with Syrian men and women in Switzerland and 100 with Venezuelan men and women in Peru (60) and Chile (40); 20 semi-structured interviews with parents in Syria and 60 with parents in Venezuela; and analysis of legal documents and migration policies. The project will address knowledge gaps in transnational care, gender and migration studies in the context of protracted humanitarian crisis, offering new insight into intergenerational and gendered questions of caregiving, reciprocity and moral duties of filial piety, as well as caregiving negotiations within wider transnational kinship networks. The proposed research will produce original findings that will inform the future design and implementation of undergraduate, master or doctoral-level courses and academic programs at partner universities, as well as in the field of continuing education for professionals and other actors related to issues of migration in protracted humanitarian crises, care and gender. Results are expected to impact public policies and support systems (e.g., social work) addressing migration, caregiving and family dynamics, both within and across relevant countries (Chile, Peru, Switzerland). The project builds on and deepens existing South-South/South-North academic networks by proposing further cooperation between HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland School of Social Work Fribourg (Switzerland), OST-Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP, Peru), the University of Tarapacá (Chile) and the Catholic University Silva Henríquez (Chile).

The study is implemented parallel to the EU-wide project "Health Care in Nowhereland-Improving Services for Undocumented Migrants in the EU" (funded by DG SANCO and coordinated by the Danube University Krems), which analyses the regulatory frameworks, health care practices and migrant strategies in 27 EU countries. The results of the Swiss study will be integrated into the EU project. Objectives • To situate the Swiss case in the wider European context • To work out the main similarities and differences between the respective national health care systems and practices at the intersection of welfare and irregular migration Outcomes • Analysis of the national regulatory and financial framework to which the respective health care institutions dealing with “undocumented” migrants are bound to act • Collection of data on different practices of administrations and health care institutions providing health care to "undocumented" migrants • Identification of transferable best practice models • Overview of the various health problems “undocumented” migrants show and how these migrants manoeuvre in order to get the medical assistance needed