Postmigrant design potential in transformative life events

Consensus and Conflict Department

Project head: Dr. Ruta Yemane

In this research project, qualitative interviews and questionnaires will be used to investigate the development of anti-racist agency as a central movement of post-migrant change. This work focuses on people who are affected by racism (people from Eastern European countries, people from predominantly Muslim countries and Black people) who find themselves at turning points in the life course (e.g. starting a family). These transformative life events have the potential to break historically grown path dependencies and behavioral norms by initiating changes or reforms that influence both their own lives and social structures. The main aim is to examine the extent to which existing (racist) norms, habits and rules are questioned and new, alternative patterns of action and behavior, positions and constructions of identity and belonging are developed (Anti-racist Agency). The selection of the three groups allows us to study whether individuals develop different forms of anti-racist agency depending on whether they belong to a visible or invisible minority. The findings from the interviews and the questionnaire will be used to develop items and scales for a follow-up quantitative survey.

This explorative research project aims to contribute to broadening the often deficit-oriented perspective on integration processes through a perspective on the use of individual agency by different groups affected by racism.

Funding: Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Institutional funding)