The study of immigrant integration in Europe encompasses a broad field of research and this panel bridges two related but distinct streams of that research: the analysis of institutions and the analysis of culture.  All too often institutions and culture are posed as rival explanations and divergent ways of understanding immigrant integration. We hope to stimulate new dialogue about the complex and interconnected processes that lead to immigrant integration.

The two papers most explicitly about institutions are by Jonathan Laurence and Ines Michalowski. Both address the timely and highly salient issue of Islam in Europe.  Laurence’s paper explores how French religious affairs policies have been both effective and ineffective. Michalowski’s paper uses a broader cross-national comparison, but also a more focused institutional analysis of military chaplaincies. Together, these papers emphasize the importance of institutions for understanding immigrant integration, while also highlighting the salience of national cultural contexts.

The paper from Fareen Parvez bridges institutional and cultural analysis by exploring how religion operates both as an informal and formal institution that enables Muslim women to achieve better health and education outcomes when they are not served by mainstream secular French society.  Finally, the paper from Rahsaan Maxwell examines how the newspaper coverage of immigrant cuisine in Britain has evolved during the post WWII period. Together, the papers from Parvez and Maxwell complement those of Laurence and Michalowski by offering different perspectives on immigrant integration. Overall, these four papers should stimulate a lively discussion about the multi-faceted nature of immigrant integration.