Servicenavigation

Project Details

Back

Projekt Print View

Biographies of migrants from Syria and West Africa in Brazil and in Germany – processes of inclusion and participation in the context of so-called irregular migration

Subject Area Empirical Social Research
Term from 2019 to 2023
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 414323407
 
Final Report Year 2023

Final Report Abstract

In this project we investigated the individual and collective experiences of different groupings of migrants from West Africa and Syria in the immigration contexts of Brazil and Germany (and partly also neighboring countries). In the course of the research, migrants from other countries in the Middle East and Sudan were also included. The focus was on migration courses that are labeled as “irregular” in prevailing social discourses. We were interested in the question of whether and to what extent legal and especially everyday constellations of “irregularity” differ in immigration contexts. We were able to reconstruct the extent to which these constellations are experienced differently by migrants against the background of their collective histories, family histories and life histories, and to what extent these facilitate or impede inclusion and participation. The comparison of our case studies (both at the level of social groupings and individual biographies) revealed the great importance of belonging to certain political, ethnic or religious we-groups, and the possibility of being able to visit or return to the country of origin. It became clear how stressful experiences of collective and/or individual violence in the context of origin, during the migration, and in the context of arrival (here, too, often due to a person’s collective affiliations) have an impact on the present. This finding led us to focus in particular on case studies of migrants from Mauritania, Senegal, Ghana, Syria, and Turkey, paying increased attention to their collective histories. Case studies of migrants from other countries of origin made it possible to examine the components that promote or hinder participation strategies and opportunities in terms of their functional significance for the migration process. In addition to the financial situation of the migrants (including during their migration), their residence status, and ongoing violent collective conflicts in their country of origin (such as Syria or Sudan), these components or closely intertwined process structures are: (1) the relative degree of continuity or stability of migration projects, and (2) attachment to transnational networks. Regarding (1): the degree of continuity of migration projects refers on an ‘individual’ level to how a migration project is experienced as relatively planned or unplanned. This is associated with differences in financial burdens, family expectations, and transnational commitments (to family or social networks). Regarding (2): while integration into transnational networks is often experienced by migrants (depending on their collective affiliations) as distinctly supportive, it may also be a hindrance in their present situation.

Publications

 
 

Additional Information

© 2025 DFG Disclaimer / Copyright / Privacy Policy

Textvergrößerung und Kontrastanpassung