Hospitality Fostering Integration : Reassessing Hospitality in Migration Ethics

Sammanfattning: This thesis analyses the concept of hospitality in the context of migration ethics. The underlying philosophical ideas of Kant, Levinas and Derrida are outlined and critically discussed. The use of hospitality in migration ethics as mainly a concern within the political dimension of society, devalues the concept and neglects the social dimension of hospitality. I argue that migration ethics should be more concerned with integration and that it is more relevant to speak of hospitality in relation to integration rather than migration, since hospitality has to do with interpersonal interactions. In order to view hospitality in the social dimension of society, I present some cases of interpersonal hospitality practiced today. Drawing from those examples whilst using a virtue ethics approach, I consider three virtues that I deem to be prerequisites for hospitality: courage, humility and patience. Hospitality is a rich and multi-layered concept and practice. I conclude that one such layer is hospitality fostering integration. That is, hospitality functioning as social cohesion with a potential to bring different parts together as a whole.