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Villanova University

Publication Date

Fall 2010

Program Name

Spain: Language, Community, and Social Change

Abstract

The first truth that I stumbled across upon arriving in Granada is that immigration has and continues to have a great impact on the society as a whole. I have always been intrigued by immigration because both of my parents were immigrants. Coming from a country that was built by the hands of immigrants, I get irritated when people say offensive things about the immigrants of today. Ever since I was a child my parents have told me many stories about the struggles and adversities they overcame in order to obtain a better life. For this reason, when I look at any immigrant I see a little glimpse of my parents. Before completing this project, I knew that the immigrants are more than just “immigrants.” Each person has their own story to tell which makes them unique. Sometimes these people are survivors of the unbelievable. There are things that immigrants have experienced that we will never understand unless we had the ability to walk in their shoes. Since I knew that I lacked this ability, the next best thing I could do was talk to the people and listen to them.

I decided to interview four immigrants: two from Morocco and two from Senegal. I chose to interview young people around my age in order to develop a stronger bond for more real conversations. I found that each person harvested a new and exciting perspective on not only their life, but also the world. My main objective was to find out the reality of the integration process for people that immigrate to Granada. I focused my questions on the sentiments of the people I was interviewing because I wanted to get their honest opinions.

All of the interviews I had gave me incredible new ways to view the city of Granada. The interviews revealed all of the struggles and joys that come along with immigrating to a new country in search of a somewhat better life. My interviews were very candid and show parts of the lives of these four men. I found that the process of integration is different for every person because of so many different reasons: country of origin, age, family, legal status, etc. However, I also found that the city of Granada is missing some tools that could ease the process of integration of the immigrants.

I also had nine interviews with Spanish born citizens in order to get a different perspective of the integration of the immigrants. I found that there were some things that nearly everyone agreed on and other things that had more disagreement. However, after all of my interviews and research, I can conclude that in Granada there are some immigrants who have found the process of integration into the community very effective and others that continue to struggle to truly make Granada and Spain their new home.

Disciplines

Civic and Community Engagement | Family, Life Course, and Society | Inequality and Stratification | Place and Environment | Social Welfare

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