Socialdemokratiets invandrerpolitik

Politisering og debat under Anker Jørgensens formandsperiode 1979-1987

Resumé

Heidi Vad Jønsson: The Social Democrat’s integration policy. Politicization and debate during Anker Jørgensen’s chairmanship (1979-1987), Arbejderhistorie 1/2013, pp. 53-74.
Immigration and integration are two salient themes, which have proven to be highly problematic for the Danish Social Democratic
Party. This became evident, when the party lost the general election in 2001 to the Liberals, the Conservatives and the new pro-national, anti-immigration party, Danish People’s Party. One of the main explanations for the loss of power was irresolute and vague
political statements, where internal debates and conflicts within the party dominated. The electoral consequences of these intraparty conflicts are clear, but it is, however, not so evident, why immigration and integration were such conflictual themes in the Social Democratic Party. The explanation is to be found within the party: an analysis of the development of an immigrant policy through
an intra-party policy development shows that these themes, immigration and integration, gave rise to a multidimensional conflict
where both the problem definition, politicization, suggested solutions etc. were different depending on the level of governance  national or local). Even though there were attempts to coin integration as a Social Democratic solution to immigrants’ problems, the conflicts remained present also after the Social Democrats re-entered office in 1993. This article covers the early politicization
from 1979 to 1987, which was marked by an increasing level of conflict, whereas the following phase of break, compromise and parliamentary playoff (1987 to 1992) is analyzed in the next number of Arbejderhistorie.