Week 2

Dr. Naika Foroutan

Who do hybrid identities make people uncomfortable?

One of our survey speakers in an earlier video from this chapter said that, to live in Germany, you must decide if you want to be German or ‘something else’. But what if you’re not tied to one set of borders, have dual citizenship, or claim more than one home? And why is this sometimes difficult for others to accept? In this episode, Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan presents sociological concepts that frame these divisions around multifaceted identities and the unease surrounding them.

Young Berliners, Migration Matters

“Who is “Us” and who is “Them”

Let’s dissect what ‘us’ and ‘them’ actually means to us in our everyday lives. We know that nationalist narratives tend to divide populations into ‘Us’, the citizens, and ‘Them’, the outsiders, with outsiders pressured to become more like the insiders. But are identities that clean cut? We invited a group of young Berliners to share where they place themselves within this narrative. Who do you think is missing from this group? What would their voices say?

Young Berliners

Why Does Talking About Identity Remain so Complicated?

With the Berliner discussion group, we reflect on why the discussion on identity and belonging remains so complex from the personal, societal, and political points of view.

Week 3

Hein de Haas, Migration Matters

Who are we allowing in? Who are we trying to keep out?

In this video, Hein de Haas challenges the notion that immigration policies are being restricted. Instead, borders are more open than ever to certain types of migrants, and this is creating or exacerbating a global class system in which the privileged are privileged further.

Gillian Wylie

The Securitisation of Migration

Gillian Wylie is Assistant Professor in International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. Dr Wylie’s research expertise is in human trafficking. In her presentation she looks at how migration is increasingly viewed as a security threat and argues for the reorientation of current political discourses towards human security.

She tackles 3 questions:

1. Why has migration become securitised?
2. How is the framing of migration as a security threat informing European responses to the current crisis?
3. What are the consequences of these policies for those seeking refuge in Europe?

Nassim Majidi, Migration Matters

Why do people risk their lives to come to Europe?

In this episode of A Migrant’s View, migration specialist Nassim Majidi offers insights into what really motivates migrants to make the oftentimes perilous journey to Europe. Regardless of whether you agree with her assessments, her research into what drives decisions to migrate will enhance and deepen your perspective on the issue.

Week 4

Claudio Tocchi, Local Authority for Inclusion and Multiculturalism in Italy

Counter-narrative through storytelling

Claudio Tocchi is a practitioner at Local Authority for inclusion and multiculturalism. In his lecture he explains the concept of narrative and counter-narrative on the example of the current refugee issue. He guides us how to respond to the narrative, how to build one and what to be aware of when constructing and de-constructing the narrative.

Nassim Majidi, Migration Matters

Is “Refugee Crisis” a Fair Assessment of the Situation in Europe?

Refugee crisis, global refugee crisis, migrant crisis. While Europe is no longer seeing the same numbers of people arriving on the continent’s shores as in 2015, the language still persists around us. And even then, was crisis an accurate labeling of the situation, and what consequences does this terminology have?

Week 5

Thiëmo Heilbron & Mitchell Esajas

Institutional Racism

Mitchell Esajas is Chairman and Co-founder of New Urban Collective; a culturally diverse network that focuses on education and support young professionals with migrant backgrounds, especially those of African descent, to strengthen their socioeconomic positions. He also works actively across the Netherlands to reduce racism. Thiëmo Heilbron is Founder and Director at Fawaka Nederland, an initiative that aims to show-case the positive environmental and social work that individuals from across the 190 cultural backgrounds in the Netherlands are doing, thus acting as role models to inspire others. In their interview they explain the roots of institutional racism, the personal impact it has on individuals in our societies today; and the work their organisations are doing to address racism in the Netherlands.

Week 6

Dr. Naika Foroutan

Do you need to learn diversity?

If you’re born in a diverse society, doesn’t that mean you understand diversity? In this first episode of Chapter 4, Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan turns back to the research to reveal the apparent paradox between people’s cognitive awareness of democratic values vs. how this plays out in practice.

Dr. Naika Foroutan

Immigrants vs. Natives: Does this divide exist?

Let’s dig a bit deeper into the common idea that there’s a natural divide between ‘immigrants’ and ‘natives’. Spoiler alert: it’s not as simple as that, at least when it comes to political views and electoral preferences. Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan explains how the migration issue fits into larger debates within society.

Dr. Naika Foroutan

How Diverse Is Germany (and How Is This Diversity Perceived)?

Just how diverse is Germany really? And what does the country make of its diversity? We took this question to Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan, one of Germany’s most prominent researchers on integration who specializes in countries of immigration, their shifting identities, and their prevalent attitudes towards minorities.

What does ‘the We’ mean in countries of immigration?

What does our language choice have to do with feeling like part of ‘the we’ in countries of immigration? And does it matter if we don’t all talk about immigration in the same way? We took a closer look at the cases of Germany and Canada and how they talk about people who come from somewhere else.

Berlin Braucht Dich

Do schools and companies need to learn diversity?

We may be surrounded by diversity, but does that necessarily mean we automatically understand it? In this video, Gülcin from Berlin Braucht Dich offers concrete examples from her work for why schools and companies in multicultural cities still need to learn diversity and cross-cultural communication.

Irene Bloemraad

Why Is Multiculturalism a Dirty Word in Europe?

Back in 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel infamously stated multiculturalism had ‘utterly failed’. Why has the concept of multiculturalism not found an easy home in European politics, even though it is a lived reality for many? We turn to Prof. Dr. Irene Bloemraad for her expert, comparative take.

Week 7

Dr. Naika Foroutan

How Can we Define Integration?

Integration is talked about all the time in Europe today but rarely defined in public debate. In this video on integration with Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan, she gives us a primer in understanding and measuring integration in four different ways and in under four minutes. And while she’s at it, she explains how integration is different from assimilation.

What Does Integration Mean to You?

In this street survey, Migration Matters when to the streets of Berlin asking people what the word ‘integration’ means to them. Have a listen and see if you can spot any overlaps or distinctions from the four fields of integration that Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan listed in the video prior. Note: Some of the content in this clip is in German, but you can click the CC symbol (bottom right-hand corner of video) to turn on subtitles!

What Do Movies and Sporting Events Have to Do With Integration?

Basketball games for integration? Tom from HiMate explains how it’s important to create moments of integration through cultural offerings, and how they’ve developed their program along the way to meet the preferences and needs of refugees and other groups in society.

What is Canada’s approach to integration and why does it ‘work’?

Do you think immigrants and refugees should figure out integration on their own or have it managed by the government? We turn back to Prof. Dr. Irene Bloemraad, who explains how Canada’s ‘public-private partnership’ approach to integration differs from European and American approaches.

If Integration Isn’t the Answer, Then What Is?

Yilmaz from HEROES talks about why they specifically don’t describe themselves as an integration initiative that works with Muslim youth, and how his particular background has shaped his work and vision for social cohesion.

Are Multiculturalism and Social Cohesion at Odds With One Another?

Does supporting multiculturalism make us stronger or does it threaten social cohesion? Prof. Dr. Irene Bloemraad shares findings from her research and the Multiculturalism Policy Index that help explain the link between multicultural policy and integration.

Week 8

Dr. Stefano Braghiroli

The ‘good citizen’: Blood, soil and solidarity

Dr. Stefano Braghiroli is Lecturer of European Studies at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu. In this video, he talks about the dimensions of European citizenship and expounds on evolving definitions of active citizenship along and its applicability for European youth.

Dr. Irene Bloemraad

Is citizenship the crown of integration?

Obtaining citizenship is often seen as the final step, or crown, of integration, awarded only to those who have proven their ‘successful integration’. But what if getting citizenship was an easier, earlier option for immigrants? How would that impact their integration process? And why is citizenship so important for immigrant integration more generally? Prof. Dr. Irene Bloemraad shares learnings from the Canadian case.

Week 9

Francesca Helm

‘Welcoming’ of refugees in Italy and the role of activist groups

Francesca Helm is a teacher and researcher in the field of English and translation at the University of Padova. In this video, she describes the system of ‘accoglienza’ in Italy and the role of activists play in it.

Give Something Back to Berlin

How Did an Art Project Spark Political Dialogue and Participation?

Annamaria and Max from Give Something Back to Berlin tell the story of how one of their projects in a Berlin refugee shelter evolved to meet the needs of the refugees they were serving, a concrete example of their bottom-up integration approach.

Week 10

Renee Frissen

OpenEmbassy – Behind the Social Enterprise

Renee Frissen is the Founder of OpenEmbassy and in her video shares the story that has led her to founding the social enterprise in the Netherlands for incoming asylum-seekers. Renee also explains what surprised and moved her to found OpenEmbassy and why she thinks it is important to continue in civil society work for integrating asylum-seekers in the Netherlands. If you are interested in setting up a social enterprise in your own surroundings, Renee also provides you several questions to first think of.

Migration Matters

Want to Start Your Own Integration Project? Watch This First.

In a city like Berlin, there’s no shortage of great ideas, but what about the follow-through? Annamaria and Max from Give Something Back to Berlin and Tom from HiMate share some valuable lessons learned when it comes to starting projects and organizations in the field of integration and refugees.

Migration Matters

What does bottom-up integration look like?

Annamaria and Max from Give Something Back to Berlin explain the approach to integration that they implement with hundreds of locals and newcomers in Berlin, and how meeting just one person or hearing one story can make all the difference.