The Open Urban Studies Journal

2008, 1 : 35-47
Published online 2008 December 19. DOI: 10.2174/1874942900801010035
Publisher ID: TOUSJ-1-35

Together or Separate in the Neighbourhood?: Contacts Between Natives and Turks in Amsterdam

Peer Smets and Nicoline Kreuk
Department of Sociology, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

ABSTRACT

The integration of non-Western migrants and especially Muslims is an issue of hot public debate in the Netherlands. This debate has been largely dominated by stereotypical images of Muslims and natives, which only serve to reinforce ‘we-they’ configurations. However, one gets a rather different view if one looks at the daily encounters between natives and Turks in an ethnically mixed neighbourhood in Amsterdam. The interactions between natives and Turks have thus been examined to gain insight into the dynamics of the interethnic contacts. This study reveals that contact between native born and Turks, and mutual judgements are manifold. In particular, the examination of the everyday interaction between Turks and natives can enrich the debate on Turks (Muslims) and integration.

Keywords:

Integration, interethnic contacts, established-outsiders.