Social Exclusion and Immigrants : A Qualitative Study Exploring the Role of Filipino Immigrant Organizations in Finland

In this study, I conducted interviews to the five leaders of Filipino immigrant organizations in Finland. Immigrant organizations refer to nonprofit organizations, founded by immigrants at all stages of immigration, and serves their fellow immigrants (Babis, 2014, p. 5). The objective of this study is to understand how Filipino immigrants experience social exclusion in Finland and at the same time explore the roles of immigrant organizations in responding to these experiences. I adopted key Social Exclusion Key Concepts, Naila Kabeer’s identity and institutional mechanisms of exclusion, and Amartya Sen’s active-passive process of exclusion to explain their experiences. I also used immigrant organization concepts linking social exclusion with history, and migration studies. By using a thematic analysis, the results show that Filipino immigrants experience social exclusion as an ongoing and multidimensional process. It shapes their everyday participation in Finnish society. These barriers operate through employment, institutional support, and language including professional qualification recognition. Through Naila Kabeer and Amartya Sen’s framework, I found that these processes occur in both intentional and unintentional ways. These processes also interact with Filipino immigrant’s racialized identity and legal status, which then limits their capability to fully participate in Finnish society. This study also highlights the roles of Filipino immigrant organizations. They help Filipino navigate social exclusion by providing practical assistance, information-sharing, creating social networks, and most important, provide spaces where Filipino culture and traditions are preserved and practiced. However, challenges related to leadership and funding were affecting the organization’s capacity to do more activities and sustain their future. Overall, this study presents how immigrant organizations help immigrants in navigating exclusion in their host societies. But relying on them alone cannot address all the barriers. Addressing these barriers may often require actions at broader social and institutional levels.