Conclusions: Perspectives and Puzzles in Researching Politics of (Dis)Integration

The chapter reflects upon the main arguments that have been presented in the volume. It is acknowledged that the volume as a whole uncovers how integration governance embodies as well as generates conceptual, political and policy formations in various domains of societal affairs. The authors’ insights are reviewed on the construction of policy frames, hierarchising practices and everyday acts of (dis)integration. It is also discussed how the chapters experiment on three major conceptual and methodological puzzles. First, the chapters translate the concept of integration to an analytical device by teasing out the relations between migration and other societal affairs. Second, the authors act upon the critique of methodological nationalism by continuing to dwell on the nation-state as a centre of politics and policy mechanisms that shape disintegration practices and experiences. Third, the volume contemplates on normative and critical positions which differentiate policy actions and critical social research. Genuine concerns are linked in the volume and the broader literature for the weakening of mechanisms for protecting human dignity, rights and equal citizenship in Europe and beyond.