Edition 11 Thesis Abstracts: A Multilingual Showcase of EMMIR Research
- StudyEMMIR
- Oct 28
- 53 min read
Edition 11 of EMMIR finished their journey and celebrated graduation in September 2025. We are excited to present their work in this collection of thesis abstracts, which appear in several languages.
These projects show the curiosity, commitment, and creativity that make EMMIR’s community of researchers so vibrant. The theses cover themes from displacement and belonging to health and wellbeing, to decolonial knowledge, care practices/dynamics/structures, organisational development and to various complexities of human mobility. Each offers a unique perspective on how people move, connect, and make meaning across borders. Using multiple languages honours the diverse and transnational character of the EMMIR programme and the multilingual realities shaping migration research today. Through their work, Edition 11 adds new voices and practical insights to ongoing conversations about migration and intercultural relations. This shows the diversity, care, and critical spirit that keep the EMMIR network active and engaged.
Between Bombs and Bureaucracy: Migrant-Led Community Kitchens Redefining Space and Solidarity in Lebanon
Sonia Caballero Pradas
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict that erupted in 2023 has left a devastated Lebanon with 1.2 million people internally displaced by Israeli attacks. While the reality of unsafety and displacement has drawn the attention of humanitarian actors and scholars, the exclusion of displaced migrants and refugees from state-run shelters and other relief efforts has been blatantly overlooked. In this context, which echoes migrants’ experiences of abandonment in previous crises, migrant domestic workers (MDWs) alongside Palestinian, Sudanese, and Syrian refugee women have joined forces to support displaced individuals through the establishment of community kitchens. This thesis examines these migrant-led kitchens to understand their implications for the spatial mobility and social dynamics of MDWs and refugee women in Lebanon. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and unstructured interviews, this study focuses on kitchens in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, where these women have prepared hundreds of meals each day while navigating unequal bureaucratic treatment, armed conflict, and displacement themselves. Findings suggest that the emergence of these kitchens is closely linked to a temporary easing of securitisation over migrants and refugees, particularly during periods of intensified Israeli aggression, when local communities were primarily concerned with their own safety. These shifts in surveillance, or forgottenness, open possibilities for redefining the meanings of these kitchens, allowing for the creation of new spatial forms rather than merely the navigation of the cracks within existing ones for survival. Although these actions are not without challenges for the cooks, solidarity and hope have nonetheless emerged. They are carried through intertwined stories of continuous uprootedness, grounded in memory and sustained through the sensorial act of collective cooking and eating. By bridging studies on spatial politics with feminist geography, sensoriality, solidarity, and affect, this research contributes to the scholarship while testifying to the everyday forms of resistance embodied by migrant and refugee women, one recipe at a time.
Keywords: community kitchen, migrant domestic workers, refugee women, space, armed conflict, Lebanon
Are We There Yet? Mapping Meaningful Refugee Participation Mainstreaming Within the Humanitarian Action Network in the Asia Pacific
Benrashdie J. Ngo
Diving into the evolving landscape of meaningful refugee participation (MRP) across humanitarian organisations in the Asia Pacific, this study explores how MRP has been mainstreamed since its adoption in 2019. Grounded in Kotter’s organisational change management theory, the study peels back layers of policy rhetoric to examine real-world adoption across intergovernmental bodies, international NGOs, faith-based groups, and refugee-led networks. Through qualitative research methodology using semi-structured interviews and document analysis, it exposes a sharp contrast between token gestures and the transformative engagement of refugees, showing how different organisations fare in adopting the policy. The study’s bespoke scoring framework provides a new lens for assessing MRP integration in governance, operations, and beyond. The research not only traces the road to inclusion but also challenges power dynamics and asks who is driving the change—and who needs to step aside. What emerges is a compelling call to move beyond symbolism and design systems where participation is not granted but rather owned by refugees.
Keywords: meaningful refugee participation, humanitarian governance, refugee-led integration, participatory inclusion
Dreams, Disillusionment, and Determination: Navigating the Filipino Au Pair Experience in Norway
Efmar Jerald M. Caguimbal
This thesis explores the lived experiences of Filipino au pairs in Norway, offering an in-depth look at the hopes, hardships, and resilience that shaped their journeys. Drawing on qualitative interviews with current and former au pairs, this study examines how these women navigated their roles within host households, balancing domestic responsibilities, emotional expectations, and personal aspirations. Using the frameworks of transnational care chains and intersectionality, the research situates personal narratives within broader dynamics of gendered migration and global inequality. Although the au pair scheme was formally presented as a temporary cultural exchange, participants often engaged in domestic care work that blurred the lines between work and family, duty and affection. These blurred roles led to both meaningful relationships and moments of exploitation, revealing how care arrangements are shaped not only by policy but also by uneven power dynamics and underlying expectations. The thesis also considers the implications of Norway’s 2024 decision to end the au pair programme for non-EU/EEA nationals. While some participants expressed disappointment over the closure of a migration pathway, others saw it as a moment for reflection and a chance to imagine better systems of support and protection. By centring the voices of Filipino au pairs, this study contributes to ongoing conversations about care, mobility, and fairness in migration policy and highlights the importance of valuing both the labour and the humanity of those who provide care across borders.
Keywords: au pair, Norway, Filipino migration, transnational care chains, cultural exchange, domestic care work
Migration as Adaptation: Exploring Climate Mobility, Legal Blind Spots, and Horizon Scanning in the Central American Dry Corridor from the Northern Triangle
Mariana Valtierra Chico
Climate change is reshaping patterns of human mobility in vulnerable regions, yet its influence is often obscured by multicausal dynamics and the absence of adequate legal recognition. The Central American Dry Corridor (CADC) of the Northern Triangle—Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras—illustrates this reality vividly. Characterised by recurrent droughts, entrenched poverty, and structural social exclusion, the region places rural households, particularly subsistence farmers, among the most exposed to overlapping environmental and migratory pressures. These conditions make the CADC a critical case for examining how climate change interacts with migration in contexts of high vulnerability.
This thesis investigates how climate change shapes migration in the CADC of the Northern Triangle and explores how weak and emerging signals can help anticipate future scenarios of displacement. The study applies Horizon Scanning, a foresight methodology rarely employed in migration research in this region, to identify signals of change that often remain invisible within institutional frameworks and public policies but are deeply embedded in the lived experiences of affected communities. Evidence is drawn from qualitative interviews with migrants from the CADC currently in Mexico and with regional experts, complemented by an analysis of policies and broader migration trends.
Findings confirm that climate change operates as a threat multiplier, intensifying existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, food insecurity, and land degradation. Young people are disproportionately affected: as agricultural yields decline and livelihood opportunities diminish, many increasingly perceive migration as a necessary adaptation strategy. Yet environmental change does not act alone; it intersects with political, social, and economic factors, compounding the drivers of both mobility and immobility. A second key insight highlights a potential shift in migration dynamics. With U.S. border enforcement intensifying, Mexico may increasingly function as an involuntary destination rather than solely a transit zone. Migrants from the CADC can experience new forms of immobility there, characterised by prolonged waiting, legal uncertainty, and exposure to violence. Although Mexico’s asylum system has expanded in recent years, it remains poorly equipped to address climate-induced displacement, leaving many outside formal protection frameworks.
By integrating the perspectives of climate security, climate justice, and migration as adaptation, this thesis evidences the complex interrelation between climate change and human mobility. It foregrounds the voices of migrants from the CADC in Mexico and of regional experts, while demonstrating the value of Horizon Scanning as a methodological innovation for studying climate-induced migration in the region. The findings underscore the urgent need for new legal frameworks, inclusive adaptation strategies that recognise mobility as resilience, and the incorporation of foresight tools into migration governance. Ultimately, addressing climate-induced migration requires moving beyond reactive crisis management toward anticipatory approaches that safeguard rights, dignity, and agency.
Español
El cambio climático está estrechamente vinculado con las dinámicas migratorias en las regiones más vulnerables del mundo; sin embargo, su influencia suele pasar desapercibida debido a la complejidad de los factores que intervienen y a la falta de reconocimiento tanto jurídico como en las políticas públicas de la mayoría de los países del continente americano. Un ejemplo claro de esta realidad se observa en el Corredor Seco Centroamericano (CSC) del Triángulo Norte —Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras—. Marcada por sequías recurrentes, pobreza estructural y exclusión social, esta región sitúa principalmente a las comunidades rurales, y en particular a las familias agricultoras, entre los grupos más expuestos a las presiones ambientales y migratorias.
Esta tesis analiza cómo el cambio climático incide en la migración en el CSC del Triángulo Norte y cómo las señales débiles y emergentes pueden contribuir a anticipar futuros escenarios de desplazamiento. A través de la metodología de Horizon Scanning, se identificaron señales de cambio que suelen permanecer invisibles dentro de los marcos institucionales y las políticas públicas, pero que están profundamente enraizadas en las experiencias de las comunidades afectadas. La investigación se basa en entrevistas cualitativas con migrantes del CSC del Triángulo Norte que se encuentran en México y con personas expertas de la región, complementadas con un análisis de políticas y tendencias.
Los resultados confirman que el cambio climático actúa como un multiplicador de amenazas, agravando la pobreza, la inseguridad alimentaria y la degradación de la tierra. Los jóvenes son quienes resultan más afectados: a medida que disminuyen los rendimientos agrícolas y se reducen las oportunidades laborales, muchos consideran migrar como una alternativa de adaptación a las consecuencias del cambio climático. No obstante, el cambio ambiental no opera de manera aislada; interactúa y acelera factores políticos, sociales y económicos que impulsan la movilidad. Otro hallazgo relevante evidencia una posible transformación en las dinámicas migratorias. Con el endurecimiento de las políticas fronterizas de Estados Unidos durante el primer semestre de 2025, México podría perfilarse cada vez más como un destino involuntario, en lugar de ser únicamente un país de tránsito. Las personas migrantes del CSC enfrentan allí nuevas formas de inmovilidad, caracterizadas por la espera prolongada, la incertidumbre jurídica y la exposición a la violencia. A pesar de la expansión de su sistema de asilo, México sigue estando poco preparado para atender el desplazamiento inducido por el clima, dejando a muchas personas fuera de los marcos de protección.
The Gender of Memory in Chinese Migration Museums Reading Within, Against, and Beyond Museum Walls
Siyi Chu
This thesis examines a seemingly calm battleground of migration narratives: museums of migration. Drawing from field visits to nine museums in China and one in Malaysia, I analyse gendered memory work—both how it participates in the construction of museum narratives and how the museum itself participates in it. Museums are seen not as neutrally recording history, but as actively shaping collective memory through selective inclusion, omission, and moralisation, while the interpretive work I engage in as a researcher also participates in the process. Grounded in the approaches of “museum as text” and “museum beyond walls”, the study reads museums as embedded in broader discursive and political landscapes, engaging with themes of nationalism, diaspora identity, local branding, historical legitimacy, and so on. Through a combination of cross-site thematic analysis and intertextual case studies, the thesis uses gender less as a category of representation than as a structuring logic. I argue that these museums do not simply reflect a gendered past but actively shape migration memory through inclusion, omission, and framing. In this sense, they (re)affirm moralised ideals about gender, labour, and virtue, while simultaneously revealing the limits of these concepts and the contemporary anxieties surrounding them.
Labour Market Experiences of Indian Student-Migrant Workers in Germany: Negotiating the Intersections of Work, Study, and Migration
Rahul Sajee
This thesis examines the part-time work experiences of Indian international students pursuing higher education in Germany in the context of increasing student migration from India and the growing number of international students working while studying. Whereas previous research has focused on student labour in marketised education systems, this study turns to Germany, where higher education is predominantly state-funded and tuition fees are minimal. The study addresses a gap in scholarship that rarely engages with the lived experiences of international students navigating multiple, overlapping roles—as students, workers, migrants, and family members—particularly within non-Anglophone contexts. The central question guiding this research is: How do Indian international students experience and navigate the German labour market during their studies? The study explores how students search for part-time work, what shapes their access to employment, the sectors and working conditions they encounter, and how they make sense of these experiences. It also examines how students negotiate the combined pressures of academic life, legal status, financial survival, and transnational familial responsibilities through remittances. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on semi-structured interviews and social media content, enabling data triangulation. Findings show that most students work in minimum-wage, labour-intensive, and non-academic sectors. Although low tuition costs provide some financial flexibility, students still face vulnerability shaped by language barriers, legal constraints, and difficult working conditions. Peer Indian students often play a vital role in facilitating job access. The study argues that part-time work is not an optional supplement but a central aspect of the migration experience for most Indian students, contributing to broader discussions on international student migration.
Keywords: Indian student migration, multiple identities, part-time labour, fragmented labour market, international student migration
Malayalam Translation
ജർമ്മനിയിലെ ഇന്ത്യന് കുടിയേറ്റ വിദ്യാര്ത്ഥി-തൊഴിലാളികളുടെ തൊഴില് വിപണി അനുഭവങ്ങള്
ഇന്ത്യയിൽ നിന്നുള്ള വിദ്യാർത്ഥി കുടിയേറ്റം വർദ്ധിക്കുകയും പഠനങ്ങളോടൊപ്പം തൊഴിലിൽ ഏർപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നത് വിദ്യാർത്ഥി കുടിയേറ്റത്തിന്റെ ഒരു കേന്ദ്ര സവിശേഷതയായി മാറുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന സാഹചര്യത്തിൽ, ജർമ്മനിയിൽ ഉന്നത വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം നേടുന്ന ഇന്ത്യൻ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെ പാർട്ട് ടൈം ജോലി അനുഭവങ്ങൾ ഈ പ്രബന്ധം പരിശോധിക്കുന്നു. നിലവിലുള്ള ഗവേഷണങ്ങൾ പ്രധാനമായും വിപണന വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ സമ്പ്രദായങ്ങളിലെ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെതൊഴിലിൽ ശ്രദ്ധ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിലും, ഈ പഠനം ജർമ്മനിയിലേക്ക് തിരിയുന്നു, അവിടെ ഉന്നത വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം പ്രധാനമായും സംസ്ഥാന ധനസഹായത്തോടെയാണ് നടത്തുന്നത്, ട്യൂഷൻ ഫീസ് എന്നിവ കുറവാണ്. വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ, തൊഴിലാളികൾ, കുടിയേറ്റക്കാർ, കുടുംബാംഗങ്ങൾ എന്നിങ്ങനെഒന്നിലധികം, ഓവർലപ്പിംഗ് റോളുകൾ -നാവിഗേറ്റ് ചെയ്യുന്ന അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെ ജീവിതാനുഭവങ്ങളുമായി അപൂർവ്വമായി ഇടപഴകുന്ന സ്കോളർഷിപ്പിലെ ഒരു വിടവ് പഠനം അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഈ ഗവേഷണത്തെ നയിക്കുന്ന കേന്ദ്ര ചോദ്യം ഇതാണ്: ഇന്ത്യൻ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ അവരുടെ പഠനകാലത്ത് ജർമ്മൻ തൊഴിൽ വിപണി എങ്ങനെഅനുഭവിക്കുകയും നാവിഗേറ്റ് ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു? വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ പാർട്ട് ടൈം ജോലിക്കായി എങ്ങനെ തിരയുന്നു, അവരുടെ തൊഴിൽ ലഭ്യതയെ രൂപപ്പെടുത്തുന്നത് എന്താണ്, അവർ ഏർപ്പെടുന്ന മേഖലകളും ജോലി സാഹചര്യങ്ങളും, ഈ അനുഭവങ്ങളെ അവർ എങ്ങനെ അർത്ഥവത്താക്കുന്നുഎന്നിവ പഠനം അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നു. അക്കാദമിക് ജീവിതം, നിയമപരമായ നില, സാമ്പത്തിക അതിജീവനം, രാജ്യാന്തര കുടുംബ ഉത്തരവാദിത്തങ്ങൾ എന്നിവയുടെ സംയോജിത സമ്മർദ്ദങ്ങളെ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ എങ്ങനെ കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യുന്നു എന്ന് ഇത് പരിശോധിക്കുന്നു. ഗുണപരമായ ഒരു കേസ് സ്റ്റഡി സമീപനം ഉപയോഗിച്ച്, ഡേറ്റാ ട്രിയാംഗുലേഷൻ സെമി-സ്ട്രക്ചേർഡ് അഭിമുഖങ്ങളുംസോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയ ഉള്ളടക്കവും ഉപയോഗിച്ചാണ് ഗവേഷണം നടത്തുന്നത്. മിക്ക വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളും മിനിമം വേതനം, തൊഴിൽ-തീവ്രത, അക്കാദമികേതര മേഖലകളിലാണ് ജോലി ചെയ്യുന്നതെന്ന് കണ്ടെത്തലുകൾ കാണിക്കുന്നു. കുറഞ്ഞ ട്യൂഷൻ ചെലവുകൾ ചില സാമ്പത്തിക വഴക്കം നൽകുമ്പോൾ, ഭാഷാ തടസ്സങ്ങൾ, നിയമപരമായ പരിമിതികൾ, ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുള്ള ജോലി സാഹചര്യങ്ങൾഎന്നിവയാൽ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ ഇപ്പോഴും ദുർബലതയെ അഭിമുഖീകരിക്കുന്നു. ജോലി പ്രവേശനം സുഗമമാക്കുന്നതിൽ സമപ്രായക്കാരായ ഇന്ത്യൻ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ പലപ്പോഴും നിർണായക പങ്ക് വഹിക്കുന്നു. പാർട്ട് ടൈം ജോലി ഓപ്ഷണലല്ല, മറിച്ച് കുടിയേറ്റ അനുഭവത്തിന്റെ കേന്ദ്രബിന്ദുവാണെന്നും, അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർഥി കുടിയേറ്റത്തിന്റെ വിശാലമായ സംവാദങ്ങൾക്ക് ഇത് കാരണമാകുമെന്നും പഠനം വാദിക്കുന്നു.
മുഖ്യപദങ്ങള്:ഇന്ത്യന് വിദ്യാര്ഥി കുടിയേറ്റം, പല തിരിച്ചറിവുകള്, ഭാഗിക തൊഴില്, വിഭജിച്ച തൊഴില് വിപണി, അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാര്ഥി കുടിയേറ്റം
Untangling and Linking Perceptions About ‘Gender-Based Violence’ and ‘Protection’ Through Visual Narratives: Exploring Refugees’ and Humanitarian Workers’ Interpretations in Mexico City
Andrea Michaelle Avelino Sánchez
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a human rights violation and a public health issue, exacerbated in forced displacement contexts, particularly, but not exclusively, affecting women, children, and LGBTIQ+ individuals. Since the mid-1980s, international organisations have recognised the urgency of addressing gender inequalities in their agendas, fostering the mainstreaming of concepts such as ‘gender’, ‘gender-based violence’, and ‘protection’ in the vocabulary of humanitarian work. Therefore, the ‘universal’ conceptions of these concepts and protocols have been locally implemented to respond to the refugee GBV survivors’ needs, considering a survivor-centred approach. Humanitarian agencies and practitioners are encouraged to integrate their protection strategies according to the needs of forcibly displaced persons, prioritising their agency. Since 2023, Mexico has been one of the largest recipients of new asylum-seeking claims worldwide, where GBV is just one of the pressing challenges faced by asylum-seekers and refugees. This research aims to identify the main perceptions and categories associated with the concepts of ‘gender’, ‘gender-based violence’, and ‘protection’ from the perspectives of refugee GBV survivors and humanitarian workers in Mexico City. Using participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a series of photovoice workshops, I conduct an analysis primarily based on intersectionality and the continuum of violence to identify the central ideas connected to GBV in a refugee urban setting. Acknowledging the diversity of the research participants, I describe how the interaction of multiple identities related to gender, class, age, sexual orientation, and migratory condition, among others, influences the various possible elucidations of the concepts. Nevertheless, I analyse the commonalities identified in their perceptions to articulate the notion of acompañamiento as a response mechanism, rooted in intersectional solidarity and local practice, to navigate the continuum of violence. This research illuminates how the different explanations of the same ideas can be articulated into a cohesive and horizontal discourse among refugees and aid workers, leading to effective prevention and response to GBV.
Keywords: gender-based violence (GBV), protection, refugees, humanitarian workers, perceptions, photovoice, continuum of violence, intersectionality, accompañamiento
Spanish Translation
La violencia basada en género (VBG) es una violación de los derechos humanos y un problema de salud pública que se agrava en contextos de desplazamiento forzado y que afecta especialmente, aunque no de forma exclusiva, a mujeres, niños y personas LGBTIQ+. Desde mediados de la década de 1980, las organizaciones internacionales han reconocido la urgencia de abordar las desigualdades de género en sus agendas, fomentando así la integración de conceptos como ‘género’, ‘violencia de género’ y protección’ en el vocabulario de la labor humanitaria. Por lo tanto, las concepciones ‘universales’ de estos conceptos y protocolos se han implementado localmente para responder a las necesidades de los refugiados supervivientes de la violencia de género, teniendo en cuenta un enfoque centrado en el superviviente. Organizaciones y profesionales humanitarios han comenzado a integrar sus estrategias de protección en función de las necesidades de las personas desplazadas por la fuerza, priorizando y reconociendo su agencia. Desde 2023, México ha sido uno de los mayores receptores de nuevas solicitudes de asilo en todo el mundo, donde la violencia de género es sólo uno de los desafíos apremiantes que enfrentan los solicitantes de asilo y los refugiados. Durante esta investigación, mi objetivo es identificar las principales percepciones y categorías asociadas a los conceptos de ‘género’‘violencia de género’ y ‘protección’, desde las perspectivas de refugiados supervivientes de la violencia de género y trabajadores humanitarios en la Ciudad de México. Mediante la observación participante, entrevistas semiestructuradas y una serie de talleres de fotovoz, realizó un análisis basado en la interseccionalidad y el continuum de la violencia para identificar las ideas centrales relacionadas con la violencia de género en un entorno urbano de refugiados. Reconociendo la diversidad de los participantes en la investigación, describo cómo la interacción de múltiples identidades relacionadas con el género, la clase, la edad, la orientación sexual, la condición migratoria, entre otras, influye en las distintas elucidaciones posibles en torno a los conceptos. Sin embargo, analizo los puntos en común identificados en sus percepciones para articular la noción de acompañamiento como un mecanismo de respuesta, arraigado en la solidaridad interseccional y la práctica local, para navegar el contonuum de violencia. Esta investigación es un esfuerzo inicial para iluminar cómo las diferentes explicaciones sobre las aparentemente mismas ideas pueden articularse en un discurso cohesivo y horizontal entre los refugiados y los trabajadores humanitarios, dando lugar a posibles acciones eficaces de prevención y respuesta contra la violencia de género.
Palabras clave: Violencia basada en género, protección, refugiados, trabajadores humanitarios, percepciones, fotovoz, continuum de violencia, interseccionalidad, acompañamiento
“Who Gets to Lead the Diaspora?”: Capital, Access, Gender, and Exclusion in Indian Diaspora Leadership in Vienna
Revathy Kuttykrishnan Jayakumari
Diaspora is often portrayed as a homogeneous actor shaped by shared ethno-linguistic or spatial features. This state and policy actor view of diaspora as a single unit in the broader realm of diaspora engagement strategy design often overlooks the layered interplay of class and capital within diaspora communities. This research stems from the hypothesis that diaspora is an active agent that moves across spaces along with the social or structural inequalities they have been imposing or subjected to in their country of origin. Born from a curious question on why are Indian diaspora leaders often imagined as middle-aged patriarchs in their formal suits, this research explores the role of capital possession and accumulation in facilitating access to diaspora leadership. From a case study of the world's largest diaspora group—the Indian diaspora—in the city of Vienna, this research analyses the lived experience of diaspora leaders, drawing answers from their voices. Using the theoretical lens of capital proposed by Bourdieu and Portes, combined with the intersectional lens of Crenshaw and Collins, this study looks deeply into the ingrained power hierarchies within the formal mobilisation spaces of Indian diaspora communities in Vienna. This thesis invites the reader for a critical ethnographic journey to find out who gets and does not get to lead the Indian diaspora, through the lens of access, gender, and exclusion.
Keywords: diaspora leadership, Indian diaspora, social capital, exclusion, intersectionality
പങ്കിട്ട വംശീയ-ഭാഷാപരേമാ സ്ഥലപരേമാ ആയ സവിേശഷതകളാൽ രൂപെടുത്തിയ ഒരു ഏകീകൃത നടനായി ഡയസ് േപാറെയ പലോം ചിത്രീകരിക്കുന്നു. ഡയസ് േപാറ ഇടെപടൽ തന്ത്ര രൂപകൽപ്പനയുെട വിശാലമായ േമഖലയിൽ ഒെരാറ്റ യൂണിറ്റായി ഡയസ് േപാറെയക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള ഈ സംസ്ഥാന-നയ നടെന്റ വീക്ഷണം പലോം ഡയസ് േപാറ സമൂഹങ്ങൾുിെല വർഗ ്ഗ ിെയും മൂലധനത്തിെന്റയും പാളികളുള്ള ഇടെപടൽ നഷ് ടെടുത്തുന്നതിേലക്ക് നയിക്കുന്നു. ഡയസ് േപാറ അവരുെട ഉത്ഭവ രാജത്ത് അടിേൽപ്പിുന്നേതാ വിേധയമാക്കുന്നേതാ ആയ സാമൂഹികേമാ ഘടനാപരേമാ ആയ അസമതങ്ങൾൊപ്പം ഇടങ്ങളിലൂെട സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന ഒരു സജീവ ഏജന്റാെണന്ന അനുമാനത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് ഈ ഗേവഷണം ഉടെലടുത്തത്. ഇൻ ഡയസ് േപാറ േനതാക്കെള അവരുെട ഔപചാരിക വസ്ത്രങ്ങളിൽ മധവയസ് കരായ േഗാത്രപിതാക്കളായി പലോം സങ്കൽപ്പിുന്നത ് എന്തുെകാാെണന്ന കൗതുകകരമായ േചാദത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് ഈ ഗേവഷണം, ഡയസ് േപാറ േനതൃതത്തിേലക്കുള്ള പ്രേവശനം സുഗമമാക്കുന്നതിൽ മൂലധന ൈകവശത്തിെന്റയും േശഖരണത്തിെന്റയും പങ്ക് പരേവക്ഷണം െചയ്യുന്നത് േലാകത്തിെല ഏറ്റം വലിയ ഡയസ് േപാറ ഗ്രൂായ വിയന്ന നഗരത്തിൽ, യൂേറാിെന്റ ഹൃദയഭാഗത്തുള്ള ഇൻ ഡയസ് േപാറയുെട ഒരു േകസ് പഠനത്തിൽ നിന്ന്, ഈ ഗേവഷണം ഡയസ് േപാറ േനതാക്കൾ അവരുെട ശബ്ദങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് ഉത്തരങ്ങൾ കെത്തുന്നതിെന്റ ജീവിതാനുഭവം വിശകലനം െചയ്യുന്നു. േബാർഡിയുവും േപാർട്ടസും നിർേശിച്ച മൂലധനത്തിെന്റ ൈസാിക െലൻസും െൻേഷായുെടയും േകാളിൻസിെയും ഇന്റർെസക്ഷണൽ െലൻസും സംേയാജിി് , വിയന്നയിെല ഇൻ പ്രവാസി സമൂഹങ്ങളുെട ഔപചാരിക സമാഹരണ ഇടങ്ങളിെല രൂഢമൂലമായ അധികാര േണികളിേലക്ക് ഈ പഠനം ആഴത്തിൽ േനാക്കുന്നു. അതിനാൽ, ആക് സസ്, ലിംഗേഭദം, ഒഴിവാക്കൽ എന്നിവയുെട െലൻസിലൂെട, ഇൻ പ്രവാസികെള നയിക്കാൻ ആർാണ ് അവസരം ലഭിക്കുന്നത്, ആർാണ ് അവസരം ലഭിക്കാത്തത് എന്ന് കെത്തുന്നതിനുള്ള നിർണായകമായ ഒരു വംശീയ യാത്രയിേലക്ക് ഈ പ്രബം വായനക്കാരെന ക്ഷണിക്കുന്നു. പ്രധാന വാക്കുകൾ: പ്രവാസി േനതൃതം, ഇൻ പ്രവാസികൾ, സാമൂഹിക മൂലധനം, ഒഴിവാക്കൽ, ഇന്റർെസക്ഷണാലിി.
Reintegration in the Philippines: Experiences of Returning Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers
Regina Rose Domino
Reintegration of returning migrant workers is often framed primarily from an economic perspective, focusing on migrants as agents of financial recovery and development. However, this narrow view overlooks the significant role of families, community ties, and social dynamics in returnees’ reintegration. An alternative perspective recognises return migration as a complex and ongoing transnational process in which the renegotiation of space, identity, and belonging begins long before the migrant’s physical return. This thesis expands the understanding of reintegration by incorporating a transnational lens and gender-sensitive analysis to examine the case of returning Filipino migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Filipino MDWs represent a substantial segment of the Philippines’ temporary labour migrant population. They often return to a transformed social landscape, facing challenges such as economic insecurity, shifting family roles, and diminished access to social protection. These challenges became especially visible when, by the end of 2020, over 800,000 workers were repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Philippine government offers reintegration programmes, such as livelihood grants, skills training, and other services, these are often fragmented and tend to focus narrowly on economic outcomes. This thesis investigates the extent to which current policies address the psychosocial and social dimensions of reintegration and how returnees themselves engage with and navigate these programmes. This study uses a qualitative approach, utilising narrative inquiry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 MDWs who returned to the Philippines from 2020 to 2025. Through a thematic narrative analysis of their life stories, this research explores the economic, psychosocial, and social aspects of their reintegration and what determines its success. The central research question guiding this inquiry is: What are the experiences of returning Filipino migrant domestic workers in reintegrating? Sub-questions include: (a) What are the challenges faced by returnees? (b) How do returnees utilise social protection for their reintegration? and (c) How do returnees describe successful reintegration? By focusing on the intersection of concepts such as reintegration, gender, transnational identity, and transnational social protection, this paper contributes to broader debates on return migration, inequality, and social protection. It highlights the importance of seeing returnees not merely as economic actors but also as individuals with complex identities and social ties that transcend national borders. Furthermore, it shows how narratives and lived experiences can inform more holistic and gender-sensitive policy responses.
Tagalog:
Ang reintegrasyon ng mga migranteng manggagawa ay kadalasang naiintindihan sa ekonomik na aspeto. Hindi nabibigyang-pansin ang papel ng pamilya, lipunan, at komunidad sa reintegrasyon. Ang reintegrasyon ay mahirap at transnasyonal na proseso, kung saan mayroong negosasyon ng espasyo, pagkakakilanlan, at pag- aari bago pa man ang aktwal na pagbabalik ng migrante. Pinapalawak ng pananaliksik na ito ang pag-unawa sa reintegrasyon sa pamamagitan ng transnasyonal na pananaw at analisis na sensitibo sa mga katangian ng mga migranteng manggagawa. Ang mga migrant domestic workers (MDWs) ay bumubuo ng malaking bahagi ng mga temporaryong Pilipinong migranteng manggagawa sa ibang bansa. Sa kanilang pagbalik, madalas na bumubungad sa kanila ang isang lipunang nagbago na, at kailangan nilang humarap sa iba’t-ibang hamon ukol sa kabuhayan, pamilya, at mga mga serbisyong panlipunan. Lalong lumitaw ang mga hamong ito nang, sa pagtatapos ng 2020, higit sa 800,000 Overseas Filipino Workers ang na-repatriate dulot ng pandemya ng COVID-19. Bagaman may mga inaalok na programa ang pamahalaan gaya ng livelihood grants, skills training, at iba pang serbisyo, kadalasan ay hindi magkakaugnay ang mga ito at nakatuon lamang sa mga ekonomik na layunin ng bansa.
Tinutukoy ng papel na ito kung hanggang saan natutugunan ng mga kasalukuyang patakaran ang mga aspetong panlipunan at sikolohikal na reintegrasyon, at kung paano hinaharap at pinangangasiwaan ng mga nagbalik na MDW ang mga programang ito. Isinagawa ng mananaliksik ang pag-aaral na ito gamit ang kwalitatibong pamamaraan, at partikular, ang narrative inquiry. Nagsagawa ang mananaliksik ng semi-structured interviews sa 10 MDW na bumalik sa Pilipinas mula 2020 hanggang 2025. Sa pamamagitan ng tematikong pagsusuri ng kanilang mga naratibo, sinuri ng pananaliksik na ito ang mga ekonomik, panlipunan, at sikolohikal na aspeto ng kanilang reintegrasyon, at kung anu-ano ang mga salik na nagtatakda ng kanilang tagumpay.
Ang pangunahing tanong sa pananaliksik na ito ay: Ano ang mga karanasan ng mga bumabalik na Pilipinang MDWs sa kanilang reintegrasyon? Ang iba pang mga tanong ay: (a) Ano ang mga hamong kinahaharap ng mga nagbabalik na manggagawa? (b) Paano ginagamit ng mga MDWs ang social protection para sa kanilang reintegrasyon? at (c) Paano nila inilalarawan ang matagumpay na reintegrasyon?
Sa pagtutok sa ugnayan ng mga konsepto gaya ng reintegrasyon, kasarian, transnasyonal na pagkakakilanlan, at transnasyonal na social protection, layunin ng papel na ito na mapalawak ang diskurso tungkol sa pagbabalik-migrasyon at social protection. Binibigyang-diin din nito ang kahalagahan ng pagturing sa mga nagbabalik hindi lamang bilang mga ekonomik na aktor, kundi bilang mga indibidwal na may sariling naratibo ng pagbabalik. Ipinakikita rin nito kung paanong ang mga naratibo at karanasan ng mga migrante ay maaaring maging batayan ng mas buo, makatao, at gender-sensitive na mga patakarang pampubliko.
Navigating Exploitation: Labour Market Experiences of Irregular Tunisian and Algerian Migrants in Paris
Christine Jentsch
This thesis explores how irregular legal status shapes the everyday lives of Tunisian and Algerian irregular migrants in Paris and how they navigate exploitation and precarity in the French labour market. Drawing on semi-structured qualitative interviews and critical migration and labour scholarship, I examine how legal, temporal, economic, and social structures produce and sustain migrants’ exploitability. Irregularity is conceptualised not as a fixed legal category but as a fluctuating, lived condition that shapes both exclusion and exploitation while simultaneously enabling limited forms of agency, which are mediated by racialised, gendered, and informal labour regimes. Irregular migrants are channelled into sectors such as construction, domestic work, and bakeries, characterised by informality, labour shortages, job insecurity, and a lack of worker protections. Informality emerges not as an exception but as the organising principle of work, in which exploitation is normalised through undeclared labour and time theft. Irregular status enables employers to extract surplus labour while evading responsibility, rendering migrants hyper-visible as workers but invisible and devalued as rights-bearing individuals. These dynamics are embedded within broader structures of racialised disposability and deportability. Nevertheless, within this framework of exclusion, irregular migrants deploy subtle but tactical forms of agency. They construct informal infrastructures of survival, accessing work, housing, language education, and legal advice in the absence of formal institutional support. Irregular migrants leverage personal networks and productivity, perform legality through language fluency and declared work, and practise tactical patience. By building relationships with employers, irregular migrants attempt to secure formal declarations of employment and employer sponsorship to support future regularisation. Regularisation, however, also functions as a disciplinary horizon, reinforcing present subordination while producing a suspended temporality of waiting and hope. Although informal networks are crucial in helping irregular migrants navigate exclusion, I challenge idealised narratives of co-ethnic solidarity. Though ethnic networks can provide critical support, they also reproduce hierarchies, coercion, and exploitation. The research further questions the assumption that North African migrants possess cultural or linguistic advantages due to shared colonial histories. Many interviewees reported barriers related to bureaucracy, linguistic exclusion, and institutional impenetrability, suggesting that colonial legacies more often reinforce marginalisation rather than privilege. By analysing what shapes migrants’ exploitability, I argue that it is not solely determined by irregular status but emerges from a complex, relational interplay of factors such as legal status, gender, racialisation, language skills, social capital, sectoral placement, and bureaucratic knowledge. Experiences of exploitation varied across interviewees: irregular migrants with strong pre- or post-migration networks or with linguistic capital were better able to mitigate exploitation. However, neither social networks nor language skills offered full protection from exploitative and precarious working conditions. This thesis contributes to broader understandings of how irregularity is lived, governed, and contested, highlighting the tactics and solidarities that emerge under structural constraints. Exploitability, I argue, should be understood as a spectrum shaped by the entanglement of bordering practices, informal economies, and irregular migrants’ situated capacities to navigate them. It is within this tension between disposability and agency, endurance and hope, that the lives of irregular Tunisian and Algerian migrants unfold in Paris.
Keywords: irregular migration, precarious labour, exploitation, informal economy, migrant agency, co-ethnic solidarity, social capital
The Role of Education on Emotional Well-Being and Resilience: A Case Study of Female Refugee Secondary School Accelerated Education Program (AEP) at Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda
Ibiene Princess George
This thesis explores the emotional well-being and resilience of female refugee learners enrolled in the Accelerated Education Program (AEP) at Nakivale and Rubondo Community Secondary Schools in Uganda. Situated within the broader context of displacement, gendered vulnerability, and educational inequity, the study investigates how young refugee women navigate school environments that are simultaneously sites of empowerment, emotional refuge, and psychosocial strain. Using a hybrid thematic analysis, the research draws on data collected through body mapping, informal group discussions, polls, and semi-structured interviews with learners and education stakeholders. The resilience framework served as a deductive lens for analysing visual and narrative data, while an inductive approach, supported by NVivo, allowed for the identification of themes grounded in stakeholders’ perceptions and participants’ lived experiences. Findings reveal a complex and often paradoxical emotional landscape. School was widely perceived as a stabilising force that offered structure, safety, and hope, in contrast to the emotional instability of home environments. Themes such as “Emotional Cost of Poverty”, “AEP: The Option Without Choices”, “Recognising Emotional Burdens and Gendered Stressors of Female Learners in the AEP”, and “Motivation Anchored in Dreams, Family, and Inner Resolve” underscore the transformative potential of the AEP. However, the study also exposes the fragility of learners’ resilience, particularly when school environments reproduce exclusion, academic pressure, or gendered discomfort. The multilayered findings allow for a deeper reflection on psychological inclusivity in education programs. Emotional suppression, identity struggles, and the social stigma of poverty emerged as critical stressors, often negotiated in silence. Yet, within these complexities, the female youth exhibited profound forms of agency and self-determination, using education to reclaim identity, imagine futures, and foster interpersonal solidarity. The thesis argues that resilience among displaced female learners is not a fixed trait but a dynamic and socially mediated process, shaped by care networks, gender norms, and structural access to inclusive education. By amplifying the voices of female refugee learners, this study contributes to the literature on education in emergencies, gender and displacement, and psychosocial resilience. It calls for contextually grounded and emotionally responsive educational strategies that move beyond academic inclusion to affirm belonging and dignity in the lives of marginalised learners.
Tasnifu hii inachunguza ustawi wa kihisia na uthabiti wa wasichana wakimbizi wanaosoma katika Mpango wa Elimu ya Haraka (AEP) katika Shule za Sekondari za Jamii za Nakivale na Rubondo nchini Uganda. Ikiwa katika muktadha mpana wa uhamishaji, hatari za kijinsia, na ukosefu wa usawa wa kielimu, utafiti huu unachunguza jinsi wasichana wakimbizi vijana wanavyomudu mazingira ya shule ambayo yanakuwa kwa wakati mmoja sehemu za uwezeshaji, hifadhi ya kihisia, na mzigo wa kisaikolojia. Kwa kutumia uchambuzi wa mada mseto, utafiti huu unategemea takwimu zilizokusanywa kupitia michoro ya miili, majadiliano yasiyo rasmi ya vikundi, kura, na mahojiano yaliyoongozwa kwa sehemu na wanafunzi pamoja na wadau wa elimu. Mfumo wa uthabiti ulitumika kama lenzi ya kuongoza uchambuzi wa takwimu za kuona na hadithi, huku mbinu shirikishi ikiyoungwa mkono na programu ya NVivo ikiruhusu mada mpya kujitokeza kulingana na mitazamo ya washiriki na uzoefu wao wa kila siku.Matokeo yanaonesha mandhari tata na ya kinzani ya kihisia. Shule ilionekana sana kama nguvu ya kutuliza inayotoa mpangilio, usalama na matumaini, hasa ikilinganishwa na hali ya kutotulia kihisia majumbani. Mada kama vile “Gharama ya Kihisia ya Umaskini, AEP: Chaguo Lisilo na Machaguo”, “Kutambua Mizigo ya Kihisia na Misingi ya Mkazo wa Kijinsia kwa Wanafunzi wa Kike kwenye AEP,” na “Motisha Iliyotegemea Ndoto, Familia, na Azimio la Ndani” zinaangazia uwezo wa kubadilisha maisha wa AEP. Hata hivyo, utafiti pia unaonyesha udhaifu wa uthabiti wa wanafunzi, hasa pale ambapo mazingira ya shule yanarudia hali ya kutengwa, shinikizo la kitaaluma, au kero zinazohusiana na jinsia. Matokeo haya ya kina yanayojitokeza kutoka kwa takwimu yanatoa nafasi ya kutafakari kwa undani zaidi juu ya ujumuishaji wa kisaikolojia katika mipango ya elimu. Kudhibiti hisia, changamoto za kitambulisho, na unyanyapaa wa kijamii unaotokana na umaskini vilijitokeza kama vyanzo muhimu vya mkazo, ambavyo mara nyingi huendeshwa kimyakimya. Hata hivyo, katikati ya migongano hii, wasichana hawa walionesha uwezo mkubwa wa kujiamulia na kujiendesha, wakitumia elimu kama njia ya kurejesha utambulisho, kuota ndoto za maisha, na kuimarisha mshikamano wa kijamii. Tasnifu hii inasisitiza kuwa uthabiti miongoni mwa wanafunzi wa kike wakimbizi si sifa ya kudumu bali ni mchakato wa kijamii unaoathiriwa na mitandao ya malezi, mila za kijinsia, na upatikanaji wa kielimu ulio jumuishi. Kwa kutoa jukwaa kwa sauti za wasichana wakimbizi, utafiti huu unachangia katika mijadala ya elimu wakati wa dharura, jinsia na uhamishaji, pamoja na uthabiti wa kisaikolojia. Unatoa wito kwa mikakati ya kielimu inayojali muktadha na hisia, inayokwenda zaidi ya ujumuishaji wa kitaaluma hadi kuthibitisha mahitaji ya kuwa sehemu ya jamii na heshima katika maisha ya wanafunzi waliotengwa.
“Mum, Do You Want to Come to Us? No. Do You Want to Stay in Ukraine? No. What Do You Want? Nothing.” A Comparative Grounded Theory Study of Afghan and Ukrainian Experiences on British Bespoke Resettlement Routes
Georgia M. Howitt-Sutton
This research explores the experiences of individuals using bespoke resettlement schemes that serve as ‘safe and legal’ pathways for them to access the United Kingdom and gain humanitarian protection. Using the grounded theory approach, policy analysis, and 21 semi-structured interviews, the research compares Afghan and Ukrainian narratives of both managing and experiencing resettlement. The findings position resettlement journeys as a constant renegotiation of state (non)control in which individuals engage in changing survival behaviours to improve their resettlement outcomes. The study suggests that these behaviours are informed by the spectrum of displacement and violence. The study also identifies the role of capital and collaborations as further stratifying protection mechanisms and creating intersectional inequalities. Finally, the research proposes a model of brokers and custodians as essential to accessing the state for resettled individuals. This thesis contributes to the emerging scholarship on resettlement as an institution, identifying the political mechanism of resettlement within the zone of exception and amplifying refugee narratives of those who manage precarious and volatile political structural conditions.
Keywords: refugee resettlement, management, institution, Afghanistan, Ukraine, displacement
Hating Their Own: Social Factors Driving Endophobia and Diaspora Fragmentation Among First-Wave and Newly Arrived Venezuelans in the United States
Angeles Zúñiga Medina
In the United States, a new wave of irregular migration from Venezuela is sparking polemic discourses. A country with a long history of regular immigration to the United States, Venezuela is currently the protagonist of Latin America's largest displacement crisis in recent history. Although Venezuelans have been largely accommodated and offered protections, from decrees recognising passports past their expiration date to the establishment of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the increasing number of Venezuelans arriving through irregular pathways—such as crossing the southern U.S. border on foot—has been largely criticised by many politicians, mainly in the conservative Republican Party. This new wave of migration has also been criticised by Venezuelans who have resided in the United States for longer (referred to as "first-wave" Venezuelans), giving attention to the emergence of the phenomenon of "endophobia", a neologism used to describe discriminatory attitudes towards someone belonging to one's own group. This research seeks to address the questions: What exclusionary or discriminatory attitudes are expressed by earlier Venezuelan migrants towards newly arrived Venezuelans in the United States? And what factors contribute to intra-group tensions between established and newly arrived Venezuelan migrants? To answer these questions, the thesis utilises discourse analysis tools, drawing from intersectionality and media theories, to understand how notions of race, class, privilege, and proximity to whiteness contribute to the fragmentation of this diaspora group.
En Estados Unidos, una nueva ola de migración irregular proveniente de Venezuela está provocando discursos polémicos. Venezuela, un país con una larga historia de inmigración regular a Estados Unidos, es actualmente protagonista de la mayor crisis de desplazamiento de América Latina en su historia reciente. Si bien los venezolanos han sido acogidos y ofrecidos protecciones en gran medida, desde decretos que reconocen los pasaportes después de su fecha de vencimiento, hasta el establecimiento del Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS), la creciente llegada de venezolanos a través de vías irregulares, como cruzar a pie la frontera sur de Estados Unidos, ha sido ampliamente criticada por figuras políticas, principalmente pertenecientes al recién elegido Partido Republicano conservador. Curiosamente, esta nueva ola migratoria también ha sido criticada por los venezolanos que llevan más tiempo residiendo en el país (llamados venezolanos de "primera ola"), destacando el surgimiento del fenómeno conocido como "endofobia", un neologismo utilizado para describir actitudes discriminatorias hacia3 alguien perteneciente a un grupo propio. Como tal, este proyecto de grado busca responder a las preguntas de investigación ¿Qué actitudes excluyentes o discriminatorias expresan los migrantes venezolanos que llegaron anteriormente hacia los venezolanos recién llegados en Estados Unidos? Y ¿Qué factores contribuyen a las tensiones intragrupales entre los migrantes venezolanos establecidos y los recién llegados en Estados Unidos? Para responder a esta pregunta, el artículo utiliza herramientas de análisis del discurso, analizadas utilizando un lente interseccional para comprender cómo las nociones de raza, clase, privilegio y proximidad a la blancura influyen en la fragmentación de este grupo de la diáspora.
German Expat Women in India: Aspirations, Experiences, and Intersectionality
Johanna Krysl
In recent years, India has emerged as an increasingly important player on the global stage. Many companies have outsourced to India, including diverse German companies and organisations. In this outsourcing process, a number of German professionals have relocated to India as well, seizing work opportunities there. This thesis aims to address a gap in the literature on Germans in India and contribute to academic exchange on this topic by examining the migration experiences of Germans moving to India. The specific focus of this thesis is on German women, whose migration experiences offer valuable insights into the intersection of individual aspirations, capabilities, structural conditions, and gendered workplace realities in a Global South context. The thesis explores the migration trajectories of German women expatriates in India and investigates how their professional and personal lives are shaped by privilege, challenges, discrimination, and institutional structures. The study addresses two notable gaps in the literature. First, it responds to Rodrigues and Ridgway’s (2018) call for more nuanced analyses of female expatriate experiences beyond Western contexts, particularly in relation to local gender regimes and organizational hierarchies. Second, it builds on Arifa et al.’s (2021) request for a deeper inquiry into how women's migration-related aspirations and expectations are shaped through and in the professional and personal environments. By focusing on German women working in India, this thesis contributes to a broader understanding of North-South mobility and the complexities of transnational gendered labour. The study is based on qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews with 19 German nationals currently residing and working in India. The analysis centres on seven in-depth case studies, showcasing diverse professional fields, migration motives, and personal trajectories. The theoretical framework combines de Haas’s (2021) aspirations-capabilities framework, which helps the analysis of how individuals navigate structural conditions in pursuit of migration, and Acker’s (1990) theory of gendered organizations, which highlights how workplace practices are embedded in gendered norms and hierarchies. The findings reveal that the participants are constantly balancing privileges and challenges. Although many of the women benefit from advantages such as German citizenship, education, and financial stability, these privileges do not always protect them from everyday struggles. Gender-based discrimination, complicated visa processes, and feelings of cultural isolation remain part of their reality. Nevertheless, the women show remarkable strength, adaptability, and resilience to overcome challenges and reflect on privileges and postcolonial structures. Their stories highlight that there is no singular way to experience migration. Each journey is shaped by a mix of personal goals, structural conditions, and social context. This thesis invites a more nuanced view of what it means to live and work as a female expatriate in the Global South, and it calls for better support systems, gender-aware policies, and more inclusive spaces that reflect the real diversity of expatriate life today.
Deutsch Translation
Deutsche Expat-Frauen in Indien: Ambitionen, Erfahrungen und Intersektionalität
In den letzten Jahren hat Indien auf der globalen Bühne zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Viele Unternehmen haben ihre Aktivitäten nach Indien ausgelagert, darunter auch verschiedene deutsche Unternehmen und Organisationen. Im Zuge dieses Outsourcing-Prozesses sind auch zahlreiche deutsche Fachkräfte nach Indien gezogen, um dort neue berufliche Chancen zu nutzen. Diese Arbeit soll eine Lücke in der Literatur über Deutsche in Indien schließen und einen Beitrag zum akademischen Austausch zu diesem Thema leisten, indem sie die Migrationserfahrungen von Frauen mit deutscher Staatsbürgerschaft untersucht, die nach Indien gezogen sind. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt auf deutschen Frauen, deren Migrationserfahrungen wertvolle Einblicke in die Schnittstelle zwischen individuellen Ambitionen, Fähigkeiten, strukturellen Bedingungen und geschlechtsspezifischen Realitäten am Arbeitsplatz im Kontext des Globalen Südens bieten. Die Arbeit untersucht die Migrationswege deutscher Expatriates in Indien und untersucht, wie ihr berufliches und persönliches Leben durch Privilegien, Herausforderungen, Diskriminierung und institutionelle Strukturen geprägt ist.
Die Studie befasst sich mit zwei bemerkenswerten Lücken in der Literatur. Erstens reagiert sie auf die Forderung von Rodrigues und Ridgway (2018) nach differenzierteren Analysen der Erfahrungen weiblicher Expatriates außerhalb westlicher Kontexte, insbesondere in Bezug auf lokale Geschlechterregime und organisatorische Hierarchien. Zweitens baut sie auf der Forderung von Arifa et al. (2021) auf, genauer zu untersuchen, wie die migrationsbezogenen Bestrebungen und Erwartungen von Frauen durch ihr berufliches und persönliches Umfeld geprägt werden. Durch die Fokussierung auf deutsche Frauen, die in Indien arbeiten, trägt diese Arbeit zu einem umfassenderen Verständnis der Nord-Süd-Mobilität und der Komplexität transnationaler geschlechtsspezifischer Arbeit bei. Die Studie basiert auf qualitativer Forschung und verwendet halbstrukturierte Interviews mit 19 deutschen Staatsangehörigen, die derzeit in Indien leben und arbeiten. Die Analyse konzentriert sich auf sieben ausführliche Fallstudien, die verschiedene Berufsfelder, Migrationsmotive und persönliche Werdegänge aufzeigen. Der theoretische Rahmen kombiniert das Aspirations-Fähigkeiten-Modell von de Haas (2021), das die Analyse der Art und Weise unterstützt, wie Individuen strukturelle Bedingungen bei der Verfolgung von Migrationszielen navigieren, und Ackers (1990) Theorie geschlechtsspezifischer Organisationen, die hervorhebt, wie Arbeitsplatzpraktiken in geschlechtsspezifischen Normen und Hierarchien eingebettet sind.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Teilnehmerinnen ständig zwischen Privilegien und Herausforderungen balancieren. Obwohl viele der Frauen von Vorteilen wie der deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft, Bildung und finanzieller Stabilität profitieren, schützen diese Privilegien sie nicht immer vor den alltäglichen Schwierigkeiten. Geschlechtsspezifische Diskriminierung, komplizierte Visaverfahren und das Gefühl kultureller Isolation sind nach wie vor Teil ihrer Realität. Dennoch zeigen die Frauen bemerkenswerte Stärke, Anpassungsfähigkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit, um Herausforderungen zu meistern und über Privilegien und postkoloniale Strukturen nachzudenken. Ihre Geschichten machen deutlich, dass es nicht nur einen einzigen Weg gibt, Migration zu erleben. Jede Reise ist geprägt von einer Mischung aus persönlichen Zielen, strukturellen Bedingungen und dem sozialen Kontext. Diese Arbeit lädt zu einer differenzierteren Sichtweise darauf ein, was es bedeutet, als weibliche Expatriate im Globalen Süden zu leben und zu arbeiten, und fordert bessere Unterstützungssysteme, geschlechterbewusste Politik und inklusivere Räume, die die tatsächliche Vielfalt des heutigen Expatriate-Lebens widerspiegeln.
Post-Traumatic Growth in the Context of Prolonged Displacement: Lived Experiences of Refugees in Nakivale Refugee Settlement
Maria Noelia Mora Velarde
Uganda hosts over 1.6 million refugees, primarily from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda, with a significant number living in protracted displacement in settlements such as Nakivale. The experience of displacement and other related challenges affects the refugees’ mental health. Despite these difficulties, refugees may experience post-traumatic growth (PTG), a positive psychological transformation following adversity. This study explores the role of PTG in the lives of refugees in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, focusing on individuals who have endured prolonged displacement. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the research captures the lived experiences of six participants, emphasising their interpretations of trauma, resilience, and personal growth. The data from in-depth interviews and observations reveal how refugees navigate the aftermath of trauma, finding meaning and strength through adversity. This study contributes to the discourse on refugee mental health, offering insights into the untapped potential for fostering resilience and transformation among refugees in prolonged displacement. The findings aim to inform more inclusive approaches to psychosocial support and durable solutions for refugees living in protracted situations.
Keywords: post-traumatic growth (PTG), protracted displacement, refugee mental health
Uganda acoge a más de 1.6 millones de personas refugiadas, provenientes principalmente de Sudán del Sur, la República Democrática del Congo y Ruanda, con una proporción significativa viviendo en desplazamiento prolongado en asentamientos como Nakivale. El proceso de desplazamiento y los desafíos asociados afectan la salud mental de las personas refugiadas. A pesar de estas dificultades, algunas pueden experimentar crecimiento postraumático (PTG), una transformación psicológica positiva tras la adversidad. Este estudio explora el papel del PTG en las vidas de un grupo de personas refugiadas en el Asentamiento de Refugiados de Nakivale, centrándose en quienes han vivido en desplazamiento prolongado. Utilizando el Análisis Fenomenológico Interpretativo (IPA), la investigación recoge las experiencias vividas de seis participantes, destacando sus interpretaciones del trauma, la resiliencia y el crecimiento personal. El trabajo de campo, que incluyó entrevistas en profundidad y observaciones, revela cómo las personas refugiadas navegan las secuelas del trauma, encontrando sentido y fortaleza en medio de la adversidad. Este estudio aporta al discurso sobre la salud mental de personas refugiadas, ofreciendo perspectivas sobre el potencial no explorado para fomentar la resiliencia y la transformación en poblaciones vulnerables. Los hallazgos buscan informar enfoques más inclusivos para el apoyo psicosocial y soluciones duraderas en contextos de desplazamiento prolongado.
Palabras clave: Crecimiento Postraumático (PTG), Desplazamiento Prolongado, Salud Mental de Refugiados
Reclaiming the Past, Redefining the Present and the Future: An Ethnographic Exploration of Nostalgia in České Budějovice
Furkan Gökalp
Since the post-1989 transition from communist rule to liberal democracy and a market economy, Central and Eastern European countries have experienced democratic backsliding, political distrust, and the related rise of populist politicians. In this context, nostalgia has emerged as a powerful response to societal change and a political tool often employed by populist leaders to promote their political agendas. This study investigates nostalgia within the context of České Budějovice, Czechia, focusing on how practices of remembering and forgetting shape personal, collective, and political narratives in the city and among the participants. It examines the various ways in which nostalgia manifests, both subtly and visibly, in public spaces and in participants’ narratives. Lastly, this study explores the broader social and political functions nostalgia serves in this setting. Drawing on Boym’s frameworks of restorative and reflective nostalgia, along with the concept of porosity, the study employs an urban ethnographic approach, including three semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The findings present four key insights on nostalgia, drawing on several cases of memory dynamics in the city and the participants’ narratives. First, nostalgia is a complex and fluid concept, which sometimes blends restorative and reflective elements that cannot be easily separated. Additionally, the expressions often extend beyond categorisation, which fails to capture the complexity of the expressed nostalgia adequately. Second, nostalgia often emerges in everyday moments and familiar places, which means that explaining nostalgia solely through major historical events overlooks vital parts of individual lives. It essentialises diverse dynamics. Third, nostalgia is shaped by social factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic background, which highlight diverse and context-specific experiences. Concepts such as post-socialist nostalgia overlook the differences between post-socialist countries and within Czechia. Fourth, urban spaces reflect contested memories, where nostalgia can both erase and revive forgotten histories. Nostalgia has the potential to create social connections that help foster social cohesion in a segregated city.
Ageing, Gender, and Migration: Documenting the Lived Experiences of Older Chilean Women in Sweden
Victoria E. Salazar Cruz
While extensive literature exists on the Chilean diaspora's experience of exile, the unique narratives of ageing Chilean women remain understudied, particularly through an intersectional lens that examines how age, gender, ethnicity, and immigrant status interact to shape their lived experiences. This study addresses critical gaps in migration research by examining the lived experiences of ageing Chilean women in Gothenburg, Sweden, through the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality and gerofeminismo. The research employed an innovative methodological approach that combined Talanoa, an indigenous Pacific research methodology, with feminist and decolonising research principles to facilitate culturally responsive and participatory data collection. Nine older Chilean women participated in individual and collective Talanoa sessions. Their narratives were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, ensuring cultural sensitivity and adherence to relational ethics. The analysis revealed a complex tapestry of intersectional challenges and resilient responses that cannot be understood through single-axis analyses of gender, age, or migration status alone. Participants navigated structural barriers, including language challenges and limited economic mobility, while simultaneously developing hybrid identities that bridge Latin American and Nordic expectations of ageing. Despite facing multiple forms of marginalisation, participants demonstrated remarkable agency and emotional resilience, transforming experiences of solitude and discrimination into sources of strength and challenging deficit-based narratives about older migrant women. The findings contribute to migration studies and gerontology by demonstrating how gerofeminismo provides a critical framework for understanding the experiences of older Latin American women in diaspora, while also highlighting the effectiveness of indigenous methodologies such as Talanoa in uncovering previously overlooked aspects of migrant women’s lives.
Institutional Neglect and Non-Citizen Political Participation in the Reception Crisis in Brussels
Anonymous
In 2015, Europe saw an unprecedented increase in the number of people seeking asylum. European countries responded to this influx in different ways, which resulted in variations in the quality of reception services for asylum seekers from state to state. Some states did not provide sufficient places in accommodation structures to asylum seekers, which resulted in a so-called “reception crisis". Throughout the reception crisis in Belgium, the government has neglected to provide shelter to asylum seekers, disregarded national and international legal obligations, and abandoned this vulnerable population, leaving them susceptible to deteriorating physical and mental well-being. In response, asylum seekers and activist supporters have opened occupations to provide housing to this population of asylum seekers experiencing homelessness and have organised protests to raise awareness of this situation. In this project, I utilise qualitative data to tell these stories and analyse these situations in the context of urban Brussels.
Between Rural Belonging and Transnational Ties: Homemaking Among Sudanese Refugees in Northern Germany
Theresa Karoline Schmidt
This thesis explores the homemaking processes and experiences of Sudanese refugees who arrived in a village in Northern Germany between 2014 and 2016. By focusing on a group often marginalised in academic and public discourse, this thesis contributes to the limited literature on the Sudanese diaspora in Germany and offers insights into broader discussions on rural refugee settlement, transnationalism, and emotional geographies of home. Applying the theoretical lens of homemaking, the study rejects traditional notions of “integration” and emphasises the personal, social, and emotional dimensions of creating a sense of home in a foreign country. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, the research draws from interviews with Sudanese men who arrived in a Northern German village approximately ten years ago. Hage’s “four key feelings” that constitute home—familiarity, community, security, and hope—inform the analysis and are used to reveal how Sudanese refugees navigate their new environment through placing attachment, using social networks, managing prejudice and racism, and projecting future aspirations. Emphasis is placed on the role of the rural village where most participants first settled. The village's landscapes, calm environment, and social connections, with local residents and fellow Sudanese, fostered a strong sense of belonging. Despite later relocations, emotional attachments to this first place of residence remained central to their understanding of home. These findings demonstrate that rural contexts, often associated with marginalisation in migration discourse, can serve as sites of gradual belonging and community-building, contradicting prevalent urban-centric narratives. At the same time, experiences of violence, racism, and displacement continue to shape the participants’ perceptions of safety and belonging. Furthermore, the ongoing connections to Sudan, particularly in light of the war that erupted in 2023, have significantly affected the mental well-being of Sudanese refugees, often limiting their ability to feel fully at home in Germany.
Keywords: Sudanese refugees, homemaking, belonging, transnationalism, rural context
Deutsch
Diese Arbeit untersucht die Homemaking Prozesse und Erfahrungen von sudanesischen Flüchtlingen, die zwischen 2014 und 2016 in einem Dorf in Norddeutschland angekommen sind. Durch die Fokussierung auf eine Gruppe, die im akademischen und öffentlichen Diskurs oft vernachlässigt wird, trägt diese Arbeit zur wenig erforschten Literatur über die sudanesische Diaspora in Deutschland bei und bietet Einblicke in die breiteren Diskussionen über die Ansiedlung von Flüchtlingen auf dem Land, Transnationalismus und die emotionale Geographie von Heimat1. Durch die Anwendung des theoretischen Ansatzes des Homemaking lehnt die Studie traditionelle Vorstellungen von „Integration“ ab und betont die persönlichen, sozialen und emotionalen Dimensionen der Schaffung eines Gefühls von Zuhause in einem fremden Land. Die Masterarbeit basiert auf einer qualitativen Fallstudie und stützt sich auf Erkenntnisse aus Interviews mit sudanesischen Männern, die vor etwa zehn Jahren in einem norddeutschen Dorf angekommen sind. Die „vier Schlüsselgefühle“ von Hage, die Heimat ausmachen: Vertrautheit, Gemeinschaft, Sicherheit und Hoffnung, bilden die Grundlage für die Analyse dieser Arbeit. Ich nutze seine analytischen Erkenntnisse, um aufzuzeigen, wie sudanesische Flüchtlinge ihre neue Umgebung durch Ortsverbundenheit, soziale Netzwerke, den Umgang mit Vorurteilen und Rassismus und die Projektion von Zukunftswünschen navigieren. Besonders hervorgehoben wird die Rolle des Dorfes, in dem die meisten Befragten zuerst untergebracht wurden. Die Landschaft des Dorfes, die ruhige Umgebung und die sozialen Beziehungen, insbesondere zu den Einheimischen und den anderen sudanesischen Flüchtlingen, förderten ein starkes Gefühl der Zugehörigkeit. Trotz späterer Umzüge blieb die emotionale Bindung an diesen ersten Wohnort zentral für ihr Verständnis von Heimat. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen, dass ländliche Kontexte, die im Migrationsdiskurs oft mit Marginalisierung assoziiert werden, als Orte der allmählichen Zugehörigkeit und des Gemeinschaftsaufbaus dienen können, was den vorherrschenden stadtzentrierten Erzählungen widerspricht. Gleichzeitig prägen die Erfahrungen von Gewalt, Rassismus und Vertreibung weiterhin die Wahrnehmung der sudanesischen Flüchtlinge von Sicherheit und Zugehörigkeit. Darüber hinaus haben die anhaltenden Verbindungen zum Sudan, insbesondere angesichts des 2023 ausgebrochenen Krieges, das psychische Wohlbefinden der sudanesischen Flüchtlinge erheblich beeinträchtigt und schränken oft ihre Fähigkeit ein, sich in Deutschland vollständig zuhause zu fühlen.
Key Words: Sudanesische Flüchtlinge, Homemaking, Zugehörigkeit, Transnationalismus, ländlicher Kontext
Exploring the Implementation of the Education Response Plan for Refugees (ERP) in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement
Foster Julius Billah
This thesis critically examines the implementation of the Education Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities (ERP) in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, one of Africa’s largest refugee communities. Recognising education as a tool for integration, social protection, and transformation for refugees and the host community, the study employs the theoretical frameworks of intercultural education and implementation theory to examine the alignment between policy objectives and practical implementation in primary education, covering both pre-school and primary school levels. Focusing on the Education Response Plan (ERP) in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement, the research adopts a qualitative approach incorporating participant analysis and interpretative policy analysis. Through the perspectives of key stakeholders, the study explores the effectiveness of ERP implementation, identifying both strengths and existing gaps in delivering inclusive and equitable education. The study highlights the progress made through collaborative efforts by the Ugandan government and development partners, leading to infrastructural development, accessible, quality, inclusive education, and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities. It also recognises the role of local actors and (I)NGOs in addressing implementation gaps, emphasising the importance of participatory, culturally responsive approaches and stakeholder collaboration to improve educational access and quality for refugee learners. Despite the positive outcomes, challenges such as language barriers, exclusion, donor dependency, and structural inequalities impede educational inclusivity, causing high dropout rates and the marginalisation of vulnerable groups such as learners with disabilities and those of different sexual orientations. The study concludes with actionable recommendations to improve policy effectiveness, promote inclusive practices, implement targeted training programmes, and promote sustainable educational development within refugee settings. It advocates for a bold, concerted effort to promote intercultural education that reflects the values of equity, diversity, and cultural openness, contributing to societal cohesion and long-term development.
Keywords: refugee education, policy implementation, inclusive, interculturality, access
The Margins at the Centre: Haitians, Urban Citizenship, and the Dynamics of Squatting in Nova Esperança Community
Raquel Freitas de Carvalho
This thesis is centred on the periphery. It explores how Haitians navigate urban space, claim rights, and construct forms of belonging and citizenship in Nova Esperança Community, an urban squat on the outskirts of Curitiba, Brazil. Rather than accepting established definitions of citizenship and inclusion, this research critically examines their limits through the lived experiences of migrants at the urban margins. Using qualitative fieldwork and semi-structured interviews conducted with Haitian residents, Brazilian neighbours, and members of the MPM (Popular Housing Movement), the case study focuses on Nova Esperança, a community of over 5,000 residents—including around 1,800 international migrants—who navigate the tension between the hope for legal recognition of their land and the persistent absence of basic public services and infrastructure. The analysis employs theories of urban citizenship alongside precarity to understand the everyday practices of migrants living at the margins of formal city life and legal citizenship. The narratives illuminate the complex realities of migrants negotiating belonging and marginalisation. While many participants described solidarity and peaceful coexistence with Brazilian residents, tensions were evident around leadership, participation, and the roles of the squatting movement and the state. The findings show that many Haitian participants preferred a low-profile stance, avoiding political confrontation and emphasising personal responsibility, family, religion, and the desire for legal security and economic opportunity. For them, citizenship is often framed in legalistic terms, such as possessing documents, owning property, and accessing public services. However, by occupying urban space and engaging in community life, these residents enact a form of citizenship from below. This thesis argues that migrants’ presence, daily negotiations, and resistance in informal urban spaces constitute a meaningful, although often unrecognised, form of urban citizenship. It demonstrates how legal victories can be symbolically powerful yet materially insufficient. By focusing on migrant participation, an aspect often overlooked in Brazilian urban studies and migration research, this thesis fills a significant gap in the literature on urban social movements. Through examining the varied ways Haitian residents engage with housing movements, this thesis provides a nuanced understanding of solidarity, conflict, and coexistence in urban struggles. Furthermore, it calls for rethinking urban citizenship as a plural, situated, and contested practice—one that emerges not only from legal frameworks or institutional recognition but also from lived experiences of inhabiting, negotiating, claiming, and transforming the city from its margins.
Resumo
Esta dissertação tem como centro a periferia. Ela investiga como haitianos navegam o espaço urbano, reivindicam direitos e construindo formas de pertencimento e cidadania na Comunidade Nova Esperança, uma ocupação urbana localizada na periferia de Curitiba, Brasil. Em vez de aceitar definições estabelecidas de cidadania e inclusão, esta pesquisa examina criticamente seus limites a partir das experiências vividas por migrantes nas margens urbanas. Para isso, baseia-se em trabalho de campo qualitativo e entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com moradores haitianos, vizinhos brasileiros e integrantes do MPM (Movimento Popular por Moradia). O estudo de caso se concentra em Nova Esperança, uma comunidade com mais de 5.000 moradores — incluindo cerca de 1.800 migrantes internacionais — que vivem a tensão entre a esperança de regularização legal da terra e a persistente ausência de serviços públicos e infraestrutura básica. Para analisar os dados, a dissertação se apoia em teorias de cidadania urbana e precariedade, com o objetivo de compreender as práticas cotidianas de migrantes que habitam as margens da cidade formal e da cidadania legal. As narrativas coletadas revelam as complexas realidades de migrantes que negociam pertencimento e marginalização. Embora muitos relatem solidariedade e convivência pacífica com brasileiros, surgem tensões em torno da liderança, da participação e dos papéis do movimento de ocupação e do Estado. Os dados apontam uma preferência, entre os haitianos, por uma postura discreta, evitando confrontos políticos e enfatizando responsabilidade pessoal, família, religião e o desejo de segurança jurídica e oportunidade econômica. Para eles, a cidadania é frequentemente compreendida em termos legalistas, como possuir documentos, ter propriedade e acessar serviços públicos. Ainda assim, ao ocupar o espaço urbano e participar da vida comunitária, esses moradores colocam em prática uma forma de cidadania a partir de baixo. A dissertação defende que a presença dos migrantes, suas negociações diárias e formas de resistência nos espaços urbanos informais constituem uma forma significativa — embora frequentemente não reconhecida — de cidadania urbana. Além disso, demonstra como vitórias legais podem ser simbolicamente poderosas, mas materialmente insuficientes. Ao focar na participação de migrantes — um aspecto frequentemente negligenciado nos estudos urbanos e nas pesquisas sobre migração no Brasil — este trabalho contribui para preencher uma lacuna importante na literatura sobre movimentos sociais urbanos. Ao examinar os diferentes modos pelos quais os haitianos se envolvem com os movimentos por moradia, a dissertação oferece uma compreensão mais complexa da solidariedade, do conflito e da convivência nas lutas urbanas. Por fim, propõe uma reconceitualização da cidadania urbana como uma prática plural, situada e contestada — que emerge não apenas de marcos legais ou do reconhecimento institucional, mas também das experiências vividas de habitar, negociar, reivindicar e transformar a cidade a partir de suas margens.
Migration and the Mental Health of Nigerian Immigrants in Germany:
A Qualitative Study
Emmanuel Onyemaechi Ugwu
Migration can have profound effects on an individual's mental health, often exacerbating existing vulnerabilities or creating new challenges. Nigeria ranks among the top ten countries globally for disaster-induced displacement, reflecting a significant rate of emigration. This qualitative study investigates the mental health experiences of Nigerian immigrants in Germany, focusing on how their migration journeys and experiences in Germany influence their psychological well-being. It addresses the research question: How do migration experiences impact the mental health and well-being of Nigerian immigrants in Germany? It also seeks to answer the question of what factors contribute to their mental health outcomes. The research employed a qualitative method, which involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 Nigerian immigrants who had resided in Germany for at least two years. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure a diverse representation of gender, age, and socio-economic status. Findings show that mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and negative self-image were prevalent among participants. These conditions were influenced by factors such as discrimination, cultural differences, and a diminished sense of belonging. The majority of the participants did not seek professional mental health support. The study concludes that developing targeted mental health programmes tailored to immigrant communities—incorporating familiar coping mechanisms such as community-based support, religious networks, and culturally sensitive therapy—can enhance accessibility and effectiveness. Furthermore, the study recommends engaging policymakers to reform existing integration frameworks, workplace discrimination policies, and mental health services to foster a more inclusive environment for immigrant communities in Germany.
Keywords: migration, Nigerian immigrants, mental health, psychosocial support, integration
Nchịkọta
Mgbe mmadụ kwaga, ọ nwere ike inwe mmetụta siri ike na ahụ ike uche ya, na-ebute ndị nwere nghọta ma ọ bụ mepụta ihe ọhụrụ. Na ụdịdị ahụ, Nigeria nọ n'etiti mba iri kacha elu na ụwa maka ahụmịhe ịpụ n'ihi mberede, nke na-egosi ọnụego mmegharị dị elu na mba ahụ. Nyocha a ga-enyocha ahụmịhe nke ahụ ike uche nke ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa na Germany, na-elekwasị anya na otú njem ha si emetụta ezigbo ahụike uche ha. Site n'ịza ajụjụ ndị a "Kedu ka ahụmịhe ịkwaga si emetụta ahụike uche na ebe obibi nke ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa na Germany?" na "Kedu ihe ndị na-enyere aka na mmetụta uche ha?", nyocha a na-eme atụmatụ ịmata mmekọrịta dị iche iche dị n'etiti ịkwaga na ahụ ike uche. Nnyocha a ga-eji usoro omimi kparịta ụka na ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa iri na Germany ebe ndị a biri ruo nwa oge ruru ọnwa isii. A ga-ahọrọ ndị otu a site na atụmanya nke ịkpachapụ anya iji hụ na nhazi dị iche iche nke okike, afọ, na ọnọdụ mmekọrịta akụ na ụba. Ọrụ a ga-adabere na akparamaagwa ndị mmadụ, nke na-atụ aro na ogo mmekọrịta mmadụ na ibe ya n'ala nnabata na-emetụta ezigbo ahụ ike uche nke ndị mbịarambịa. Usoro eziokwu nke ọrụ a ga-enyere aka na nyocha banyere otú ihe ndị dị ka ihe mgbochi asụsụ, ịma ọrụ, netwọkụ mmekọrịta, na ime mgbanwe omenala si emetụta ahụike uche nke ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa. A ga-edebe data site na ntụziaka ejiri n'aka n'elekwasị anya, na-enye ndị otu ohere ịkekọrịta ahụmịhe ha na nghọta ha dum. A ga-edegharị mkparịta ụka ndị a dịka ọ dị n'okwu ma nyochaa ya site na iji NVivo 14, sọftụwia nyocha data na-egosi ihe dị iche iche na ụdịdị metụtara nchegbu ahụike uche nke ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa iji nye nghọta banyere mmetụta uche nke ịkwaga na nrụgide ndị pụrụ iche ndị a na-ezute na Germany.
Mkpaokwu: Ịkwaga, ndị mbịarambịa Naịjirịa, Ahụike uche, Mmekọrịta
Disinformation About Ukrainian Migrants in Germany: Affected Persons’ Perspectives
Sophie Scheingraber
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in Germany has been accompanied by a rise in disinformation, particularly propagated by conservative and right-wing political actors. These narratives, which often depict refugees as ‘welfare tourists’, draw on longstanding anti-Slavic stereotypes that have persisted in Western European discourse for centuries. While existing scholarship has examined hybrid warfare and pro-Russian propaganda, the voices of those directly targeted by disinformation remain largely absent from academic discussion. Furthermore, a limited understanding of how disinformation impacts migrants’ mental health and sense of belonging presents a significant research gap. This study combines discourse analysis with qualitative interviews to address this gap. First, a discourse analysis of political narratives and media reports concerning Ukrainian refugees focuses on content disseminated by the German conservative party. Second, ten semi-structured interviews with Ukrainian migrants in Germany are analysed using phenomenological thematic analysis following Clarke and Braun’s (2021) six-phase model. The study is theoretically informed by Wardle and Derakhshan’s (2017) typology of information disorder, which is utilised to create a sharp distinction between the categories ‘disinformation’, ‘misinformation’, and ‘malinformation’. The concept of Anti-Slavism is drawn from the theories of Panagiotidis and Petersen (2024) and Kalmar (2023) to explore the 'Othering' of Eastern Europeans, including the historical and cultural biases that frame Eastern Europe as inferior to the West. The nuances of the participants’ sense of belonging are further examined through Yuval-Davis’s (2006) theoretical exploration of belonging. Folkman and Lazarus’s (1984) appraisal and coping framework guides the discussion on participants’ coping mechanisms. Findings highlight the emotional and psychological toll of disinformation on migrants, including feelings of frustration and anger. Nonetheless, participants demonstrated agency by developing coping strategies to mitigate the negative effects of disinformation in both the online and in-person spheres. Participants with longer residence in Germany pointed out that the negative impact of disinformation did not significantly weaken their sense of belonging to German society. Thus, the participants’ sense of belonging emerges as a dynamic and resilient process shaped by transnational attachments, time in the host country, and personal agency in responding to disinformation. By providing new insights into the lived experiences of migrants affected by disinformation, this study fills gaps in the literature on the intersection between disinformation, mental health, and public discourse. It contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the disinformation–migration nexus by focusing on the voices of affected persons.
Alternative Pathways to Labour Migration from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Germany: The Role of Incentives, Accessibility, and Recruitment in Shaping Migration Pathways
Davor Tunjić
This thesis examines how legal alternative labour migration pathways facilitate access to the German labour market for migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It identifies specific pathways that extend beyond standard migration channels (Western Balkans Regulation, Croatian citizenship, the posting of workers through Slovenia), and it examines to what extent incentives, accessibility, and recruitment shape these routes. The study addresses two research questions: What alternative pathways are available for labour migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina to enter the German labour market? How do incentives, accessibility, and recruitment for these pathways influence and shape labour migration from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Germany? The first question is foundational, grounded in literature and policies, and it serves to establish the basis for addressing the second analytical research question. To examine incentives and accessibility, the study applies de Haas’s (2021) aspirations–capabilities framework, while recruitment is examined through Ruhs and Anderson’s (2010) approach to labour shortages, immigration, and policy. A mixed-methods design directs the research by combining policy analysis, using the policy triangle framework, with semi-structured interviews. The policy triangle framework guides the examination of the content, context, actors, and processes that shape these pathways, and interviews provide a qualitative insight into migrants’ lived experiences and decision-making. The findings show that aspirations to migrate are motivated by poor working conditions, high unemployment, and limited economic and social prospects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The examined alternative pathways are attractive due to their faster access and fewer requirements, although these perceived advantages often deviate from migrants’ actual experiences. While these routes offer less restrictive access, their accessibility varies. The empirical findings show that pathways with fewer constraints and greater worker autonomy tend to reduce precarity. The recruitment plays a significant role not only in enabling migration and addressing labour shortages but also in shaping legal certainty, working conditions, and long-term integration.
Navigating Belonging and Well-Being in Madrid: The Paraguayan Migrant Case
Giuliana Speranza Araujo
This thesis examines the narratives of Paraguayan immigrants in Madrid, Spain, focusing on how they perceive, navigate, or lack a sense of belonging and well-being in connection with both their host city and their country of origin. The study draws on Prilleltensky et al.’s (2023) theory of well-being, which is constructed through fairness, mattering, and wellness and is interconnected with belonging across personal, relational, and collective dimensions. It also incorporates theories of transnationalism to capture how Paraguayan immigrants sustain connections across borders to understand the nuanced ways in which they feel belonging and well-being. This exploratory study used qualitative episodic interviews. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed through narrative analysis to better understand Paraguayan immigrants' narratives of belonging and well-being. This research contributes to the broader discourse on migrant belonging by shedding light on the under-researched experiences of Paraguayan immigrants in Madrid. Furthermore, this research offers insight into the complex emotions of migrants and provides better groundwork for future social policy and community support systems.
Spanish
Esta tesis explora las narrativas de inmigrantes paraguayos en Madrid, centrándose en las formas en que perciben, experimentan o les falta ese sentido de pertenencia y bienestar en relación tanto con su ciudad de acogida, Madrid, como con su país de origen, Paraguay. Utilizaré la teoría de bienestar de Prilleltensky et al. (2023), que se construye a través de la justicia, reconocimiento y bienestar, interconectados con la pertenencia en dimensiones personales, relacionales y colectivas, junto con teorías del transnacionalismo, para capturar cómo los migrantes paraguayos mantienen conexiones a través de fronteras, buscando comprender las varias formas en que experimentan la pertenencia y el bienestar. Este estudio emplea entrevistas cualitativas episódicas. Las transcripciones de estas entrevistas se analizarán a través del análisis narrativo, con el objetivo de revelar el proceso dinámico del sentido de pertenencia y bienestar de los inmigrantes paraguayos. Esta investigación contribuye al discurso más amplio sobre la pertenencia de los inmigrantes iluminando las experiencias únicas de los inmigrantes paraguayos en Madrid, un tema poco investigado. Además, esta investigación ofrece una visión sobre las complejas emociones de la migración y una mejor base para futuras políticas sociales y sistemas de apoyo comunitario.
Migrant Children's Intercultural Education: A Case Study on the Implementation and Impact of Resolution No. 1/2020 in a Brazilian School
Camila Santos Barros Moura
Amid increasing global migrant displacement, the presence of migrant children in Brazil has emerged as an essential yet under-researched educational challenge. This qualitative case study critically examines how Resolution No. 1/2020, the first national policy guaranteeing migrant children’s right to education in Brazil, is being implemented in a public school in the country’s northeast. Guided by the question of what challenges a Brazilian school encounters in implementing Resolution No. 1/2020 to support migrant children’s intercultural education, the study also explores the practical obstacles faced by educators and the perceptions of migrant students, their families, and the surrounding community. Anchored in Paulo Freire’s (1987, 1992) emancipatory pedagogy and informed by the works of Portera (2008), Nieto and Bode (2018), Walsh (2012), and Gorski (2008), the research frames education as a site of institutional struggle, resistance, and potential transformation. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted in one school and employing thematic analysis with NVivo software, the findings reveal a gap between policy and practice. Despite individual efforts to welcome migrant students, the school’s environment remains constrained by monocultural curricula, insufficient teacher preparation, and systemic invisibility of migrant children in official data. The study argues that intercultural education in Brazil remains more aspirational than operational, limited not by legal absence but by everyday silences, institutional inertia, and the persistence of colonial legacies within educational systems. It emphasises that intercultural education cannot be effective without a decolonial approach that actively challenges and dismantles these entrenched structures. By highlighting these tensions, this research invites policymakers, educators, migrants, and scholars to rethink what meaningful educational inclusion truly requires in increasingly diverse societies.
Keywords: intercultural education, migrant children, Brazil, Resolution No. 1/2020, Paulo Freire, emancipatory pedagogy
Transnationalism and Development: Challenges and Strengths of Afghan Diaspora Organizations (ADOs) in Germany in Promoting Development in Afghanistan
Abdullah Ammar
This thesis examines the role of Afghan Diaspora Organizations (ADOs) in Germany as transnational development actors. Framed by theories of transnationalism, resource mobilisation, and embedded development perspectives, the study draws on 15 in-depth qualitative interviews to analyse how ADOs operate, mobilise resources, and envision their future roles. A key contribution of this research relates to its timing as it captures ADOs’ perspectives and strategies in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The findings reveal that ADOs occupy complex, hybrid roles that extend beyond remittance transfers or emergency relief, acting as cultural brokers, educators, humanitarian actors, and informal community representatives. They creatively mobilise diverse resources despite restrictive funding structures, limited recognition, and volatile political conditions. Particularly affected since 2021, women-led ADOs and those focused on supporting Afghan women and girls were forced to radically transform their activities, shifting towards integration services for newly arrived Afghan women in Germany or discreetly maintaining small-scale initiatives inside Afghanistan despite Taliban restrictions. These challenges are compounded by funding cuts and the unsustainable, short-term nature of existing grants, which particularly affect newer, less-networked organizations operating largely on volunteer or hybrid models. Nonetheless, the study identifies key strengths—bilingual skills, cultural legitimacy, trusted networks, and adaptability—that enable ADOs to remain effective. Their aspirations emphasise participatory, co-designed models with Afghan partners, mental health and social cohesion initiatives, and intergenerational leadership. The thesis argues that recognising ADOs as legitimate and autonomous development actors, rather than merely intermediaries, is essential to realising their potential. Policy recommendations include simplifying funding systems, providing long-term support—both financial and non-financial, such as capacity building—and establishing consultative platforms for co-design.
Keywords: Afghan Diaspora Organizations, transnationalism, resource mobilisation, embedded development, Germany, Afghanistan, Taliban, diaspora development
فراملیگرایی و توسعه: چالشها و توانمندیهای سازمانهای دیاسپورای افغان در آلمان در ارتقای توسعه در افغانستان
عمار، عبدالله
چکیده
این پایاننامه به بررسی نقش سازمانهای دیاسپورای افغان در آلمان بهعنوان بازیگران توسعه فراملی میپردازد. با اتکا به ۱۵مصاحبه کیفی عمیق و چارچوب نظری مبتنی بر رویکرد فراملی، نظریه بسیج منابع، و دیدگاههای توسعه درونزا، این مطالعه تحلیل میکند که چگونه این سازمانها فعالیت میکنند، منابع را بسیج مینمایند و نقشهای آینده خود را ترسیم میکنند. یکی از نوآوریهای کلیدی این پژوهش، زمانبندی آن است که دیدگاهها و راهبردهای این سازمانها را در پی بازگشت طالبان به قدرت در اوت ۲۰۲۱ ثبت کرده است. یافتهها نشان میدهند که این سازمانها نقشهای پیچیده و ترکیبی فراتر از انتقال ساده حوالهها یا کمکهای اضطراری ایفا میکنند و بهعنوان میانجیهای فرهنگی، آموزگاران، کنشگران بشردوستانه، و نمایندگان غیررسمی جامعه عمل مینمایند. آنان با وجود ساختارهای محدودکننده تأمین مالی، شناخت محدود، و شرایط سیاسی ناپایدار، بهصورت خلاقانه منابع متنوعی را بسیج میکنند. بهویژه، سازمانهای تحت رهبری زنان و آنهایی که بر حمایت از زنان و دختران افغان تمرکز داشتند، مجبور به بازنگری اساسی در فعالیتهای خود شدند و بهسمت ارائه خدمات ادغام برای زنان تازهوارد افغان در آلمان حرکت کردند یا بهطور محرمانه به حفظ ابتکارات کوچک در داخل افغانستان ادامه دادند، با وجود محدودیتهای طالبان. این چالشها با کاهش بودجه و ماهیت کوتاهمدت و ناپایدار کمکهای موجود تشدید شده است و بهویژه سازمانهای تازهتأسیس و کمتر شبکهای که عمدتاً بر نیروی داوطلب یا مدلهای ترکیبی تکیه دارند را تحتتأثیر قرار داده است. با این حال، این مطالعه نقاط قوت کلیدی از جمله مهارتهای دوزبانه، مشروعیت فرهنگی، شبکههای مورد اعتماد و سازگاری را شناسایی میکند که این سازمانها را قادر میسازد مؤثر باقی بمانند. آرزوهای آنان تأکید بر مدلهای مشارکتی و همطراحی با شرکای افغان، ابتکارات بهداشت روان و انسجام اجتماعی، و رهبری میاننسلی دارد. این پایاننامه استدلال میکند که بهرسمیت شناختن این سازمانها بهعنوان بازیگران توسعهای مستقل و مشروع — و نه صرفاً واسطهها — برای تحقق ظرفیتهایشان ضروری است. توصیههای سیاستی شامل سادهسازی سیستمهای تأمین مالی، ارائه حمایت بلندمدت — چه مالی و چه غیرمالی مانند تقویت ظرفیت — و ایجاد بسترهای مشورتی برای همطراحی است.
کلیدواژهها: سازمانهای دیاسپورای افغان؛ فراملیگرایی؛ بسیج منابع؛ توسعه درونزا؛ آلمان؛ افغانستان؛ طالبان؛ توسعه دیاسپورا
Stories and Practices: Intercultural and Arts-Based Educational Methods for Inclusive Learning Spaces, Reflections of an Immigrant Student and Educator
Irene Vettiyadan
This autoethnographic thesis explores the transformative potential of arts-based methods (ABMs) and intercultural education in creating inclusive learning environments for students with migration backgrounds. Rooted in my dual perspective as a second-generation Italian-Malayalee student and non-formal educator, the work interrogates dominant educational frameworks that marginalise linguistic, cultural, and emotional multiplicity. Rather than presenting a neutral academic inquiry, this thesis is a personal and political act, an embodied resistance against narratives of deficiency and exclusion. Through personal narrative, critical reflection, and engagement with decolonial, feminist, and critical pedagogical theory, I examine how educational systems in Europe, and Italy in particular, continue to frame second-generation students as stranieri (foreigners), perpetuating structural inequalities and epistemic silencing. Drawing from my experiences of being shamed for bilingualism, overlooked in classrooms, and denied cultural affirmation, I ask in this thesis: How can intercultural education and arts-based methods support students with migration backgrounds in shaping inclusive learning environments? By engaging with arts-based and intercultural methods in non-formal educational settings across Italy, France, Greece, and Norway, I explore how creative expression, through storytelling, poetry, drama, and visual arts, can foster agency, recognition, and belonging among migrant students. I argue that these practices offer more than therapeutic relief; they are epistemological tools that challenge dominant narratives and co-create inclusive educational spaces. ABMs become not merely methods of learning but forms of healing, dialogue, and radical care. This thesis situates these explorations within broader theoretical discourses: from Gloria Anzaldúa’s (1987) “borderlands” and Paulo Freire’s (1970) pedagogy of the oppressed to intercultural engagement as envisioned by Bhikhu Parekh (2000) and Will Kymlicka (1995). It proposes a reimagining of inclusion not as assimilation but as transformation, in which the cultural, linguistic, and emotional textures of every learner are validated and celebrated. Autoethnography, here, is not simply a methodological choice but an ethical and epistemological stance. By positioning my own story as both data and critique, I challenge the notion of detached academic neutrality and elevate lived experience as legitimate and necessary knowledge. The narrative shifts between “I”, “we”, and “us”, weaving collective and individual voices from the second-generation diaspora and the educational communities with which I have worked. This autoethnographic thesis is a call to educators, researchers, and policymakers. It urges a critical, participatory, and creative pedagogy that is grounded in reflexivity, plurality, and social justice. Ultimately, it argues that inclusive education for students with migration backgrounds is not an outcome but a continuous, relational process, one that demands rethinking who is seen, who is heard, and whose knowledge matters in the classroom.
Italian
Questa tesi autoetnografica esplora il potenziale trasformativo dei metodi artistici (Arts-Based Methods, ABMs) e dell’educazione interculturale nella creazione di ambienti di apprendimento inclusivi per studenti con background migratorio. Radicata nella mia prospettiva duplice di studentessa italo-malayalee di seconda generazione ed educatrice non formale, l’elaborato interroga i quadri educativi dominanti che marginalizzano la molteplicità linguistica, culturale ed emotiva. Più che una ricerca accademica neutrale, questa tesi è un atto personale e politico, una resistenza incarnata contro narrazioni di mancanza ed esclusione. Attraverso il racconto personale, la riflessione critica e il dialogo con teorie decoloniali, femministe e pedagogiche critiche, esamino come i sistemi educativi in Europa, in particolare in Italia, continuino a inquadrare gli studenti di seconda generazione come “stranieri”, perpetuando disuguaglianze strutturali e il silenziamento epistemico. A partire dalle mie esperienze, dall’essere stata stigmatizzata per il bilinguismo, ignorata in classe e privata di un riconoscimento pluriculturale, la domanda di ricerca di questa tesi è: in che modo l’educazione interculturale e i metodi artistici possono sostenere studenti con background migratorio nel costruire ambienti di apprendimento inclusivi? Sperimentando approcci interculturali e basati sull’arte in contesti educativi non formali in Italia, Francia, Grecia e Norvegia, esploro come l’espressione creativa, attraverso narrazione, poesia, teatro e arti visive, possa promuovere agenzia, riconoscimento e senso di appartenenza tra gli studenti con background migratorio. Sostengo che tali pratiche non offrano soltanto un sollievo terapeutico, ma rappresentino strumenti epistemologici capaci di sfidare le narrazioni dominanti e co-creare spazi educativi inclusivi. Gli ABMs diventano così non solo metodi di apprendimento, ma forme di cura, dialogo e rivendicazione radicale. In questa tesi, le osservazioni ed esperienze sopra menzionate sono collocate all’interno di più ampi discorsi teorici: dai “borderlands” di Gloria Anzaldúa (1987) e la pedagogia degli oppressi di Paulo Freire (1970), all’impegno interculturale delineato da Bhikhu Parekh (2000) e Will Kymlicka (1995). Propone una riconcettualizzazione dell’inclusione, intesa non come assimilazione, ma come trasformazione: in cui le dimensioni culturali, linguistiche ed emotive di ogni studente vengano riconosciute e valorizzate. L’autoetnografia, in questo contesto, non è solo una scelta metodologica, ma una posizione etica ed epistemologica. Ponendo la mia storia personale come risorse e allo stesso tempo come critica, metto in discussione l’idea di una neutralità accademica distaccata e riconosco l’esperienza vissuta come forma di conoscenza legittima e necessaria. Nella narrazione che oscilla tra “io”, “noi” e “voi”, si intrecciano voci individuali e collettive della diaspora di seconda generazione e delle comunità educative con cui ho lavorato. Questa tesi è un appello agli educatori, ricercatori e responsabili politici, che invita a una pedagogia critica, partecipativa e creativa, fondata sulla riflessività, sulla pluralità e sulla giustizia sociale. In conclusione, questa analisi sostiene che l’educazione inclusiva per studenti con background migratorio non sia un risultato statico, ma un processo continuo e relazionale, un processo che ci obbliga a ripensare chi viene considerato, chi viene ascoltato e quali versioni e risorse epistemologiche contano negli ambienti educativi.
The Identity Formation of Second-Generation Turkish Diaspora in Norway and the Role of Turkish Diaspora Organisations: A Case Study of Stavanger
Hatice Kübra Karatepe
This thesis explores the identity formation processes of second-generation members of the Turkish diaspora living in Norway and examines the roles that Turkish diaspora organisations play within these processes. The primary objective of the study is to understand how such organisations influence the cultural identity perceptions and senses of belonging among second-generation individuals. Focusing specifically on the city of Stavanger, the research analyses how interactions with Turkish diaspora institutions—such as mosques, cultural associations, and community centres—shape the identity experiences of second-generation Turks in Norway. In this context, the study addresses the following key research questions: How do second-generation Turkish diaspora members define their identities, and how have these identities evolved over time? What role do diaspora organisations play in shaping these identity formation processes? To what extent do these institutions support individuals in maintaining cultural ties to both Turkish and Norwegian contexts? Moreover, through which mechanisms do these organisations impact the integration and social interactions of individuals within Norwegian society? To address these questions, the study draws on data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with ten second-generation diaspora members and representatives of four Turkish diaspora organisations based in Stavanger. The theoretical framework of the thesis is grounded in orthogonal cultural identification theory, which posits that individuals can identify with multiple cultural affiliations simultaneously in non-conflicting ways. Employing qualitative research methods, this study aims to uncover the cultural, social, and individual dynamics that shape the identities of second-generation diaspora members and to contribute meaningfully to academic discussions on migration, identity, and diaspora studies.
Turkish
Bu tez, Norveç’te yaşayan ikinci kuşak Türk diasporası üyelerinin kimlik oluşum süreçlerini ve bu süreçte Türk diaspora örgütlerinin oynadığı rolleri incelemektedir. Araştırmanın temel amacı, diaspora örgütlerinin ikinci kuşak bireylerin kültürel kimlik algıları ve aidiyet duyguları üzerindeki etkilerini anlamaktır. Stavanger kentine odaklanan çalışma, camiler, kültür dernekleri ve toplum merkezleri gibi Türk diaspora kurumlarıyla kurulan etkileşimlerin, bireylerin Norveç’teki kimlik deneyimlerini nasıl şekillendirdiğini analiz etmektedir. Bu bağlamda araştırma şu temel sorulara odaklanmaktadır: İkinci kuşak Türk diasporası üyeleri kimliklerini nasıl tanımlamakta ve bu kimlikler zaman içinde nasıl evrilmektedir? Diaspora örgütleri, bu bireylerin kimlik oluşum süreçlerinde nasıl bir rol oynamaktadır? Söz konusu kurumlar, bireylerin hem Türk hem de Norveç kültürel bağlarını sürdürmelerine ne ölçüde katkı sağlamaktadır? Ayrıca, bu yapılar bireylerin Norveç toplumuna entegrasyonu ve sosyal etkileşimlerini hangi mekanizmalar aracılığıyla etkilemektedir? Bu sorular doğrultusunda çalışma, Norveç, Stavanger’de yaşayan ikinci kuşak on diaspora üyesi ve dört Türk diaspora örgütü temsilcisiyle yapılan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelerin verilerini temel almaktadır. Tezin teorik çerçevesi, bireylerin birden fazla kültürel kimliği eşzamanlı ve çatışma yaşamadan benimseyebileceğini öne süren Ortogonal Kültürel Kimlik Kuramı’na dayanmaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinin benimsendiği bu çalışma, ikinci kuşak diaspora bireylerinin kimliklerini şekillendiren kültürel, toplumsal ve bireysel dinamikleri ortaya koyarak, göç, kimlik ve diaspora literatürüne özgün katkılar sunmayı amaçlamaktadır.
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