Language and Integration

Abstract

The chapter critically examines the European discourse of integration, and compares it with how the concept of integration tends to be used in the United States. Weber shows how the European discourse is based on an ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ dichotomy, how it often involves scapegoating (blaming the victims) and how integration policies can be misused by some politicians for their own political ends. On a more positive note, the chapter also offers an alternative understanding of integration in terms of social justice and educational equity.