AEMI

Some Terminological Dilemmas in
Migration Studies
Janja Žitnik Serafin
Abstract
The author presents her arguments on
the problematic use of the terms ‘autochthonous’,
‘host society/host country’,
and ‘tolerance’. She explains the
meaning of the term ‘integration’ (cultural
and linguistic), as it is defined in
certain European documents, and points
out some misinterpretations of this term
found in recent academic literature. In
her conclusion she argues that intercultural
awareness is crucial in terms of our
perception of internationally established
terminology. In order to be able to understand
the terminological dilemmas of
our own as well as those of others, we
must develop a high level of sensitivity
to the different meanings of a particular
term depending on one’s cultural background,
even though that term has been
generally accepted by the leading scholars
in the respective research field. Or, in
other words, the more we develop our
intercultural awareness, the more disputable
the generally accepted terminology
becomes, regardless of the fact that it is
indispensable for any kind of scholarly
communication. Therefore terminology
must be constantly revised, not only for
the purpose of its necessary updating but
also for its due relativization.
Introduction
The purpose of this article is to show
how words create perception, and how
our understanding of certain established
terms can depend on our personal experience,
local circumstances and cultural
background. I will base my discussion
on the theory of subjective perception
vs. intercultural awareness (Grosman
2004), and use the Slovenian case to illustrate
the relativity pertaining to some
crucial terms in ethnic and migration
studies.
The most frequent opportunity that
opens various terminological questions
is the process of the translation of scholarly
texts from one language to another.
One of the most prominent English
translators in Slovenia, Erica Johnson
Debeljak reflected upon terminological
issues in ethnic and migration studies as
she translated one of the books in this
field. The book itself, she says, reveals
many differences between the American
and European perceptions of certain
terms: the word emigrant, for example,