The Two-Way Street of Refugee Immigration to the Isle of Bute

Abstract

In 2017 A group of Syrian Refugees were rehoused on the isle of Bute, and from this The new Syrian members of the Bute community have brought a new demographic and vibrant culture to the island. The migrant families have provided business and social input to the community and became a key part of the island. The social, economic and cultural contribution of Syrian Refugees living on the isle of Bute has been under-researched and so this qualitative study sought to provide an in-depth sociological insight into the new community that had grown on the island both from long standing members of the community and migrants themselves. The original data taken clearly showed that the rural communities’ unique attitudes and Bute’s situation was a great start for what may become a new framework for integration in the area with such positive results shown. The lack of data from the migrant side of the story within the study is an issue. However, future research will seek to gain an in-depth insight into the lived experiences of both migrants and indigenous communities. Given the current social, political and economic context within which migration takes place this will contribute to the promotion and expansion of a truly viable refugee integration process benefiting both parties, (Faist, 2019; Roberts, 2019; Kamel, Talani, Rosina, (2019).