'Changing teams': a participant perspective on citizenship ceremonies

Several European countries of immigration have recently introduced citizenship ceremonies on either a mandatory or voluntary basis. Yet, little is known about how the target group for such ceremonies experiences them, and to what extent citizenship ceremonies achieve their goals of contributing to a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Citizenship studies 2011-10, Vol.15 (6-7), p.735-748
Main Authors: Hagelund, Anniken, Reegård, Kaja
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ceremonies
Citizens
Citizenship
citizenship ceremony
diversity
Europe
Immigration
integration
Majorities
Norway
Political action
Political integration
Political science
Resistance
State-society relations
Teams
Values
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Summary:Several European countries of immigration have recently introduced citizenship ceremonies on either a mandatory or voluntary basis. Yet, little is known about how the target group for such ceremonies experiences them, and to what extent citizenship ceremonies achieve their goals of contributing to a greater sense of belonging. In this article, we analyse interviews with more than 50 newly naturalised Norwegian citizens about their reasons to attend or to not attend the voluntary ceremony in Norway. We find little resistance to the idea of citizenship ceremonies. For some participants, the ceremony seems to have great emotional value; the majority, however, chooses not to participate.
ISSN:1362-1025
1469-3593
DOI:10.1080/13621025.2011.600087