Change and dynamics of familial generational relations in the context of refugee migration and asylum

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Manuela Westphal
• Subject Area: Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 444831277

Since refugee migration has increased, the pressure for reception and integration of refugees was initially the focus of research and practice to act. Family relationships as well as new questions for upbringing, education, and socialization in families themselves have so far been excluded. Both in migration and in family research there is lack of knowledge on familial generational relationships, family and parenting concepts and educational practices in the context of refugee migration and asylum. Findings on (transnational) family education in other groups of migrants in Germany, however, can only be transferred to refugee families to a very limited extent due to dominant legal and political regulations, post-colonial framing and racism. The planned study analyzes family and education in the context of refugee migration and asylum in Germany based on the example of families/family members from Somalia. How and with whom family relationships and practices of education are produced, re-organized and negotiated will be investigated. Focus of interest are changes and dynamics of familial generational ties on different dimensions of family practices entailed by experiences of refuge and asylum. Building on a theory of family education interdependencies of extended generational ties, experiences of refugee migration and asylum and transnationality are analyzed and systematized. The concepts of doing and displaying family are used as heuristics. Captured are: (1) family structures and type and density of extended family relationships and practices, (2) family images and symbolic representations of family and education, (3) transnational family interactions as well as (4) reflections on family education.Research will be carried out in a mixed-methods-design. Different methods of data collection are going to be applied progressively and combined with each other, reflected in regards of ethical questions and integrated in a common reconstructive strategy of interpretation. It is aimed to contribute to development and systematization of a theory of family education. Thereby one-sidedness and normativity in consideration of family structures and family education can be revised and social realities of migration can be depicted in pedagogical research as well as theory. Furthermore, by questioning normative-western concepts of family education and stereotypes of ‘refugee families’ or ‘African families’ and gaining a deeper understanding of resources and strains in transnationally extended generational ties a contribution is made to overcome methodological nationalism in practice contexts.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants