In this video, I explain why we should stop talking about the “second generation” and “migration background”, arguing that the terms are unnecessarily broad and vague. Drawing on a recent article with Lisa Borelli, we can identify three problems (false homogeneity, focus on deficits, perpetuation of difference) showing in passing that the way “generation” is used when it comes to immigration is different from how we use it in other contexts. Evidence from a literature search and population surveys suggest that we often mean ethnicity, but in the end we need more precise approaches if we want to better understand society.
* obviously I refer to immigrant factory workers, not all factory workers
Borrelli, Lisa Marie, and Didier Ruedin. 2024. ‘Towards a Precise and Reflexive Use of Migration-Related Terminology in Quantitative Research: Criticism and Suggestions’. Comparative Migration Studies. 12(10). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40878-024-00369-0 (open access)
Didier Ruedin 