Project Details
Projekt
Coordination Funds
Applicant
Professor Dr. Oliver Razum
Subject Area
Empirical Social Research
Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
Term
from 2019 to 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 409654512
Forced migration, and resulting challenges relating to refugee health, are currently treated as highly exceptional, as a singularity. We postulate that this constitutes a socially as well as scientifically impoverished approach in two respects. Firstly, a singularity perspective may ultimately have adverse effects on the health of refugees because of the resulting ‘othering’ processes (e. g. exclusion, spatial separation) and further social marginalisation of forced migrants. Secondly, treating challenges related to refugee health as a singularity constitutes a missed opportunity for improving population health in general as it fails to realise an inherent analytical potential to identify broader deficiencies. In view of the diversity in Germany’s society today, refugee health can be interpreted as presenting an exacerbation and accumulation of factors that affect also other population subgroups, and ultimately – albeit to varying degrees – all members of society in Germany. In the PH-LENS Research Unit (RU), we will analyse two such factors, (i) contextual (small-area) effects on health; and (ii) challenges to the health system (which we analyse using the concept of health system resilience), as well as their interactions, from a truly interdisciplinary perspective. ‘Othering’ as an analytical perspective will serve as a key theoretical link between these factors. We aim to identify health inequalities related to these factors, determine the underlying pathways including societal exclusion processes, and formulate concepts and strategies for reducing them. By rejecting the singularity perspective, our results, both in terms of methodology and of scientific content, will be applicable more broadly to public health in Germany’s increasingly diverse society. This innovative concept clearly stands out from the work of many on-going refugee health projects.The sub-project COOREQ will coordinate the overall cooperation of all other sub-projects in PH-LENS (beyond activities such as working papers that individual sub-projects jointly produce). COOREQ will facilitate an iterative synthesis of research findings across sub-projects and disciplines through organising (i) data sharing within the RU; and (ii) a series of dedicated joint project meetings and workshops, including a conference with input from international experts. Moreover, COOREQ will ensure that equity measures are implemented and that young researchers are supported in the RU. COOREQ is thus crucial for ensuring that the added value of the PH-LENS RU – beyond the achievements of the individual sub-projects – will be realised.
DFG Programme
Research Units
