Con-Communities of Syrian Refugee-Migrants in Germany

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Anton Escher
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 401803679

Currently, the living environment in Germany is undergoing changes due to the influx of refugees. Among them is a high proportion of people from Syria. In order to find orientation, they build relationships through communication, join existing communities and establish communities across national boundaries to pursue their interests. Thereby, they receive information on how to solve daily problems and how to fulfil their envisioned ways of life. The dynamics of the new organizations formed by refugee-migrants can only partly be explained with the common migration theories and concepts. Henceforth, these organizations are referred to as "Con-Communities". Heuristically speaking, Con-Communities function as a theoretical concept, which allows the development of a theory based on empirical data ("Grounded Theory"). Through “working on the term” (in German “Arbeit am Begriff”), new dimensions and phenomena can be considered, that are not included in previous approaches. With that in mind, the leading question of the proposed project is the following: How do Con-Communities of Syrian refugee-migrants with shared implicit knowledge and with common interests emerge and function in Germany? Within a geographic-ethnographic approach, Con-Communities will be analyzed by taking Syrian refugee-migrants on the one hand and cultural brokers (agents, organizers, leaders) on the other hand into account. Syrians, their communication partners as well as representatives of existing collectives (cultural brokers, singles, couples, families, clans, ethnic groups, associations, refugee organizations, etc.) serve as analytical units. Interview partners of different origins and affiliations as well as asylum status will be contacted in rural and urban areas. The empirical work will be completed whenever it is not possible to screen out new types of Con-Communities and as soon as the knowledge about the emergence and function of different types is saturated. The theoretical-empirical access follows a practice- and digital-oriented approach. The chosen empirical methods include ero-epic dialogues, narrative interviews, participant observation and the analysis of community-building online activities. Interests, knowledge, competences and strategies within the various Con-communities are to be examined through practices, routines, communication and narratives of the analytical units. Further information on the work of Con-Communities can be obtained through projects supporting refugees which are initiated by members, volunteers as well as by institutions. The aim of the study is to develop a “Theory of Con-Communities of Syrian Refugee-Migrants” in the digital age based on an empirical analysis of the living environment in Germany. Thereby, concepts like "Community", "Ethnicity", "Nation", "Imagined Community", „Weak Ties“, "Neo-Tribes" and “Communities of Practice” serve as heuristic elements.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants