Unity out of diversity? Perspectives on the adaptations of immigrants in Britain

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The number of immigrants coming and settling into Britain has become increasingly important in recent years. As they settled and had British-born children, this also implies that the share of British citizens with some immigration background has also increased: in 2010, close to 30% of the British population had some immigration background. Coupled with a more recent shift in the national origins of the immigrants, this also implies that the ethno-national composition of migrants has also changed in the past few decades, raising important issues with regard to social cohesion and intergroup relations in British society.Hence, the level of immigrant adaptation (the immigrants' long-term adjustment to the British society, and the society's response to it) in various domains (e.g., educational, economic, social, cultural, political) has become an important topic of academic inquiry and debate among policy makers and the public alike. Yet, a review of the literature on the academic, policy, and public perceptions and understandings of the phenomenon highlights the fact that there is no unified understanding of adaptation within and across these different arenas, either with regard to the terminology used or to the underlying number of dimensions encompassing immigrant adaptation in Britain and the way in which they are interrelated. This implies the need to clarify the commonalities and differences in the various perceptions and understandings of adaptation and trying to reconnect those in order to build an important evidence base for further academic research as well as policy intervention.This project aims to do just that, by using an original research design that will examine (1) the multidimensionality of immigrant adaptation in British academia (via an analysis of the current literature and data), which will be contrasted with more subjective understandings and perceptions of adaptation in Britain among (2) policy makers and third-sector stakeholders (via an analysis of policy documents and interviews); and (3) minority and majority groups among the British population (via focus groups). This cross-disciplinary and cross-domain project will produce outputs in the form of conference presentations, academic papers, a website, a final research report and research briefs. The project will seek to actively involve academic and non-academic throughout its duration in order to maximise impact, which will be important and far-reaching. It will provide a thorough and updated understanding of immigrant adaptation research and its dimensionality in Britain, highlighting potential interdependencies between the dimensions and making clear links to the theoretical framework that appears to match said dimensionality. It will also investigate ethnic and generational differences in the dimensionality of adaptation, providing good evidence-base for further academic research and policy. It will highlight areas of adaptation perceived as important by academic stakeholders and communicate it beyond academic circles. The project will seek to actively involve the public in the discussion of immigrant adaptation in an ethical and respectful manner and seek to raise awareness of the nuances in the public's views on adaptation from 'the bottom up' to governmental and third sector stakeholders. This will not only be limited to the project's participants but also to the wider public via the dissemination efforts via the website, publications, and participating organisations. It will also actively involve governmental and third sector stakeholders in all phases of the project, including a discussion with academic beneficiaries in highlighting and contrasting results from the first two stages of the project in an integrated workshop. It will provide key evidence and insights for the formulation and improvement of policy and intervention by identifying aspects of adaptation important in the public's views and in academic research.