Integration and belonging in the institutional praxis: critical discourse analysis from an intersectionality perspective

Citizenship acquisition, known as “naturalization”, plays a central role in the processes of legal and social integration of the migrant population and has been the object of extensive scientific debate. But what is meant by “naturalization” in Spain? The objective of this paper is to analyze the discourses on integration and belonging that conform the Spanish institutional praxis of citizenship acquisition, paying special attention to the judicial and administrative levels. The hypothesis is that the process of "naturalization" is defined by concepts of integration and belonging based on ethnic nationalism that are detrimental to migrants. Critical discourse analysis and critical frame analysis will be carried out on a documentary corpus made up of legislation, case-laws, administrative memos and political documents, as well as interviews with key institutional actors. Gender and intersectionality are adopted as explicit analytical lens. The ultimate goal is to reveal the discourses underlying institutional action and to identify obstacles and opportunities to guarantee migrants’ integration and full access to rights in the country of residence.