Suchergebnisse

Acknowledgements -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- Note to the readers: -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Three approaches to the political involvement of migrants - a short overview over the state of research and some theoretical considerations -- 2.1 Three major perspectives on (migrant) political participation and collective mobilisation: A very short overview -- 2.1.1 Resources as a necessary requirement for political involvement -- 2.1.2 Identity, frames and migrant political involvement: -- 2.1.3 Political context and migrant transnationalism shaping individual and collective political involvement -- 2.2 Some theoretical considerations on religion and the political involvement of migrants -- 2.2.1 Religion as an organisational resource -- 2.2.2 Religious identities and religion as a symbolic resource for political involvement -- 2.2.3 Taking religious and political context factors into account -- 3 Methodology -- 3.1 Case selection and comparative design: a "comparaison à géométrie variable" -- 3.1.1 Comparing Christian, Muslim and secular African migrants -- 3.1.2 Choosing the field: studying migrants in the city -- 3.1.3 The main focus of the study: Berlin -- 3.1.4 Adding a comparative perspective: Berlin and Paris -- 3.2 Data collection and analysis -- 3.2.1 Data collection -- 3.2.2 Interview methodology and thematic framework -- 3.2.3 Network data -- 3.2.4 Research among highly vulnerable migrants - access to the field in Berlin and Paris -- 4 Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Berlin and Paris -- 4.1 African migrants in Berlin and Paris - visible and invisible at the same time -- 4.1.1 African migrants in Germany and France: countries of birth and (former) nationalities -- 4.1.2 A young and precarious population -- 4.1.3 The religious makeup of the population from sub-Saharan Africa in Berlin and Paris

This article reviews approaches to ethnicity and political engagement, with particular emphasis on Western Europe. It argues that studies were at first marked by a structuralist approach and later turned to a more culturalist understanding of ethnic mobilization. Also, owing to increased labor migration after World War II, researchers shifted their attention from ethnic separatism to the ethnic identifications and mobilizations of migrants. While the political mobilization around (or based on) ethnicity was long seen as a disruptive factor within states, then also as a resource or barrier for migrant political involvement within national contexts, it is now studied under the auspices of increasing transnationalism, too. Simultaneously, religion, and especially Islam (in the European context), has come to be seen as one of the most important markers of identity and difference in European societies. This article's theoretical reflections concentrate on the juxtaposition of these two developments—increasing transnationalism and the (re)emergence of religion as a relevant boundary marker. To analyze these shifts, the article contrasts three theoretical approaches with regard to ethnicity: theories of integration, resource mobilization theory, and the political opportunity structures approach. It suggests the revision of the traditional understanding of integration as nationally bounded, and it highlights the need for new perspectives for the study of ethnicity and political participation in the context of globalization.

AbstractEven though a migration-uncertainty nexus has been widely acknowledged, several of its dimensions are strikingly understudied and under-theorised. This special issue contributes to the debate by focussing on migration movements that are linked to an extraordinary degree of uncertainty: refugee and forced migration. This introductory article highlights key points arising from the contributions. The articles look at both the migrants' perspective and the perspective of local organisations dealing with refugee and forced migration, including the state. The special issue puts into sharper focus the relevance of further theorisation of uncertainty in migration processes at the local level, as it reveals several dimensions of uncertainty, namely as a fundamental experience, a challenge as well as a governing tool. Furthermore, we are able to bring together the micro- and meso-levels and to substantiate our theoretical contribution with ample empirical material.