Transnational activities and social-cultural integration of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in Belgium.

Kris Vancluysen, Hasselt University
Maarten Van Craen, Hasselt University
Johan Ackaert, Hasselt University

The key questions this paper seeks to address are: (1) To what extent are Moroccan and Turkish immigrants (and their descendants) living in Belgium involved in transnational activities? (2) What is the impact of transnational involvement on the social-cultural integration of people of Moroccan and Turkish descent into the country of settlement? To answer these research questions we did quantitative regression analyses on data gathered in three cities in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium: Antwerp, Genk and Ghent (618 standardized face-to-face interviews). The first results show that in both communities transnational activities are common practices. Turkish immigrants have more contact (by telephone or internet) with relatives in their country of origin, but Moroccan immigrants more often send money or goods to their family. The more often members of minority groups are in contact with relatives in Turkey/Morocco, the less Belgian they feel and the less they use the majority language.