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Figurations of displacement in and beyond Germany: empirical findings and reflections on mobility and translocal connections of refugees living in Germany
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) gGmbH
Abstract This working paper presents the findings of the empirical research on the role of connectivity and mobility for displaced people in Germany in the framework of the TRAFIG project. The findings are based on qualitative fieldwork in Germany, with 73 qualitative interviews with displaced people and exp... view more
This working paper presents the findings of the empirical research on the role of connectivity and mobility for displaced people in Germany in the framework of the TRAFIG project. The findings are based on qualitative fieldwork in Germany, with 73 qualitative interviews with displaced people and experts in the field. This paper uses a figurational perspective; figurations are characterised as dynamic social constellations which emerge in the context of displacement between displaced people and state and other actors at the local, translocal and transnational scale. This working paper discusses the figurations of displacement in which refugees in Germany are embedded. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of family figurations in displacement, among them the "figuration of a transnationally separated family", "figuration of the jointly displaced family", or the "figuration of the transnationally extended family". Family figurations are deeply intertwined with local and transnational bureaucratic figurations, which structure the experiences of refugees. Bureaucratic figurations evolve with respect to German authorities, those of the countries of origin and other local actors. Despite the significance of family figurations, connectivity is not restricted to it. Refugees are also connected within non-kin figurations, such as within an "ethnic network-based" or "volunteer-refugee" figuration. The analytical category of figurations provides valuable insights into how displaced people embedded in certain social constellations can best be supported. It shows that transnational life is a reality for displaced persons and an integral part of their everyday lives. As the German case demonstrates, displaced people use mobility and connectivity as a way out of protracted displacement.... view less
Keywords
Federal Republic of Germany; migration; living conditions; displaced person; displacement; refugee; social relations; social integration; social network; mobility; figuration; family; right of asylum; asylum seeker
Classification
Migration, Sociology of Migration
Free Keywords
Lebensformen; institutionelles Netzwerk; displaced families; transnational families; family separation; family reunification; humanitarian admission; volunteerism; bureaucracy of asylum
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
City
Bonn
Page/Pages
51 p.
Series
TRAFIG Working Paper, 10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5841892
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0