ABSTRACT
Despite its somewhat old-fashioned, functionalist air, 'integration' is still the most popular way of conceptualizing the developing relationship between old European nation-states and their growing non-European, *ethnie* immigrant populations. It is also widely used to frame the advocacy of political means for dealing with the consequences of immigration in the post-World War II period. Many similar, difficult-to-defme concepts can be used to describe the process of social change that occurs when immigrants are 'integrated' into their new host society. But none occurs with the frequency or all-encompassing scope of the idea of integration across such a broad range of West European countries. This fact continues to decisively structure policy research and policy debate on these subjects in Europe.
