Purpose:
The link between the Cabildo (government of Tenerife) and the University of La Laguna provides the former with a reliable basis of objective evidence for its work on intercultural integration. Again and again, it is the university, and specifically the Observatory of Immigration of Tenerife (OBITen), to which the Cabildo turns. In an arena where rumours are rife, this is an invaluable asset in working out what in practice the intercultural approach concretely entails.
The University of La Laguna, through the Observatory, has been generating a series of instruments and resources to enrich this relationship, and thus, to respond to the specific needs of the Cabildo de Tenerife (Island Local Authorities) and the island of Tenerife at all times. Three of the most relevant ones can be highlighted, which have been shaping more or less stable lines of work in areas of research, training and development of spaces for reflection and dialogue on migrations and their repercussions in Tenerife and the Canary Islands in general terms.
The research plans have been developed over time and have resulted in the realization of different scientific studies, both disciplinary and interdisciplinary, almost always concluding in one or more publications that are shared on the Observatory’s web portal. The training has been acquiring different training modalities, concluding with the current realization of an extensive online course ‘Keys to understanding migrations in the Canary Islands’ (5 editions since 2020). The aspect of reflection and debate is materialized through the annual celebration of a ‘Technical Conference on the immigration in Tenerife’ (24 editions since 2001) and through Subject-Focused seminars.
The Cabildo of Tenerife and the University of La laguna through its General Foundation and the OBITen project develop European project such as the NET-IDEA project, among others.
Stimulus/Rationale:
It is in the nature of interculturalism that it cannot be the vehicle for ‘one size fits all’ interventions by a public authority: fine-grained knowledge of concrete situations is needed. Moreover, because it represents still a novel approach to the management of cultural diversity – essentially appearing only in this century – it is highly experimental and so careful evaluation of programmes and policies is at a premium.
The Cabildo and the University have consolidated their participation in the Spanish Network of Intercultural Cities (RECI) since 2012, as a formula to deepen their learning about the intercultural approach and its practical application together with the rest of territories that make it up. The experience of the island’s progress in the management of the cultural diversity by the Council of Europe through the ‘Intercultural Cities’ program, has been very beneficial, receiving highly valuable recommendations through the Intercultural Cities Index (ICC).
Additionally, it is worth highlighting the establishment in 2012 of an Interdepartmental Commission in the Cabildo, to progress in the dissemination of the intercultural approach towards the different areas of the island’s government. This has led to a growing technical and political sensitivity towards this way to deal with the management of cultural diversity, and from there to advance in the configuration in a more inclusive society that aspires to an intercultural coexistence as a model of sociability.
Process:
This evolving connection goes back to the establishment in 2001 of OBITen, housed in the University of La Laguna and with the support of its foundation as well as the Cabildo. In 2009, this university / public-authority link saw the emergence of a project called ‘En la misma direction’ (In the same direction), which became the vehicle ‘Juntas En la misma direction’ (Together in the same direction) for the promotion of interculturality on the island the following year. The relationship was again important in the elaboration of the Strategy framework ‘Tenerife Vive Diversidad’ (Tenerife lives Diversity).
All these advances have provided Tenerife with a stable framework for furthering the spread of the intercultural approach, with resources and qualified technical teams that have been financed by the Cabildo and managed by the University through its General Foundation. It develops an intense activity in diverse municipalities of the island in collaboration with their city councils, besides it supports the initiatives of multiple autonomous working groups that tackle various issues that affect coexistence and social cohesion. Being able to count on this stable structure has made it possible to improve the work at the local level, through the signing of collaboration agreements between the Cabildo and the local administrations, and between the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna and educational centers or foundations interested in applying the Strategic Framework ‘Tenerife vive diversidad’ ('Tenerife lives Diversity').
Impact:
This link has strengthened with usage over the years, with a large body of tacit knowledge accumulating. It reinforces the confidence in Tenerife’s approach to interculturalism, buffeted as this has been at times by the ‘crisis’ of arrivals in the Canaries of significant numbers of boats carrying asylum-seekers from Africa.
In this sense, the Observatory has achieved to become a regional, national and even an international reference in the knowledge of migrations, its effects and links in relation to the different dimensions of the reality of Tenerife throughout time. This means it is continually visited by researchers from different countries, to serve as an appropriate place for the acquisition of experience by professionals at different levels to be consulted by the media, and, in addition, its knowledge and experience to be used in the definition of public policies aimed at the management of cultural diversity and the promotion of intercultural coexistence.
The experience obtained in the island of Tenerife has been fundamental, also, to respond by the University of La Laguna to the demand of the Government of the Canary Islands in relation to the participatory preparation of the Canary Islands Plan for Immigration and Intercultural Coexistence (2024-2027) (Plan de Inmigración y Convivencia Intercultural), carried out through the 'Canarias Convive' program.
Key reference documents:
- Observatory of Immigration of Tenerife: https://obiten.com
ZAPATA HERNÁNDEZ, Vicente Manuel (2005), “El Observatorio de la Inmigración de Tenerife”, en FERNÁNDEZ GARCÍA, Tomás y GARCÍA MOLINA, José (coords.), Multiculturalidad y educación. Teorías, ámbitos y prácticas, Alianza Editorial, Madrid, páginas 271-293.
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=7505
ZAPATA HERNÁNDEZ, Vicente Manuel (2010), “La aportación de los observatorios de inmigración a la comprensión de los fenómenos migratorios en España: la observación desde el ámbito local”, en IZQUIERDO ESCRIBANO, Antonio; GOLÍAS PÉREZ, Montserrat y FERNÁNDEZ-SUÁREZ, Belén (eds.), Las migraciones en España. VI Congreso sobre las migraciones en España, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, páginas 1.822-1.825.
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=405477
ZAPATA HERNÁNDEZ, Vicente Manuel y RAMALLO RODRÍGUEZ, Julio (2015), “Los observatorios de la inmigración como estructuras de intervención social”, en GARCÍA CASTAÑO, Francisco Javier; MEGÍAS MEGÍAS, Adelaida y ORTEGA TORRES, Jennifer (eds.), Actas del VIII Congreso sobre Migraciones Internacionales en España, Universidad de Granada (Instituto de Migraciones), Granada, páginas S22/27-38.
http://migraciones.ugr.es/pages/publicaciones/congresos/garciacastano2015/
FONTE, Maria Eugenia.; ARTEAGA, Adriana; MORENO, Maria Gabriela.; ROJAS, Victor Alain.; ZAPATA, Vicente Manuel. (2024). “Funciones y habilidades de la facilitadora de procesos participativos interculturales. Compartir Juntas, 1.”
https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/37496
- Apart from the above links, particularly useful are the OBITen factsheets.
