ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concepts about immigrants held by the interviewed young people. It focuses on the encounter process, whereby immigrants are put into a conceptual framework in order to make sense of them. The chapter also examines the application of these concepts in the social and cultural spheres by analysing young people’s accounts of immigrants as social actors. It also focuses on the dynamic interplay between public and private spheres: the diverse living spaces and positions conceptually assigned to immigrants. According to Finnish immigrant policy statements, the integration of the immigrants into the majority culture relies upon the idea of the public recognition of ethnic and cultural differences as a basis for integration. The chapter analyses young people’s ideas of social and cultural inclusion and/or exclusion. It presents concluding reflections based on the functions that the categorisation of immigrants seems to have for the young interviewees.
