Essay on the stranger, Immigration relation

The stranger, Immigration relation

The British public is considering taking measures and to reduce immigration by 77%. The figures represent a complex situation for immigrants as they are living their lives and have worked there. The complexity increases with the perception of locals about the immigrants. They never take immigrants as their fellows and just focus on who the migrants are and what they are doing in their country. In 1908, German Sociologist Georg Simmel highlighted some major issues of immigrants and what they were facing back in 1908. His book entitled “The Stranger” described the immigrants who come today, and they live in the country for tomorrow. The locals consider that strangers come to their country and occupies the positions. In the past, the UK hired several workers from different colonies and assumed that after working they will leave the country (Simmel, 1950).

The residentials are the social type who help to explain our response to immigrants. Immigrants are physically present in most of the countries in the world and are never considered as part of the society or national community. They never get acceptance even they contribute to the development of society but still, they are considered as detrimental. The fact is that resident immigrants are a physical part of the community and they share occupational characteristics, social norms follow rules and regulations, work for the groups in the countries, and pay their livings by themselves. Since all the traits are similar as they are done by the residents of a country but still, they face criticism. They are considered as “others”. They contribute to the local economy but experience radical behaviour. Most of the immigrants are treated in similar ways and they face discrimination based on skin colour, religion country of origin and gender (Simmel, 1950).

 Europe is the most anti-immigrant region where people distinguish immigrants as “them” they never list them in “us”. Simmel’s book is based on real-life experiences of Somalis in seven European cities (Simmel, 1950). The stories in the book portrait underlying facts and highlighted the discrimination faced by many Somalis in different regions of the world. Since the regions were different but still, they stories indicate similar facts (Clarke, 2014).

The differences observed by them open eyes of readers and the facts are often very punitive. Simmel concluded some understanding from collected stories and according to him the fact can be breaking down the vision, but it is possibly same for all the communities. He concluded that people are racialized as un-human and strangers and some particular type of strangers. They are divided into all regions based on their origin. Societies and communities of European countries offer them work and education opportunities, but they are not ready to consider them as part of their society. They always push their backs and tag them as unknown and unwanted strangers in their country. It is very important to realize that immigrants work for your country and live with you as a part of the community (Clarke, 2014).    

References of The stranger

Clarke, A. (2014). THE STRANGER. Retrieved from themigrationist.net: https://themigrationist.net/2014/01/23/the-stranger/

Simmel, G. (1950). The Sociology of Georg Simmel. Simon and Schuster.