CERP Draft 2

Rebecca Duncan

Community Engaged Research Project

The main theme of my project Community Engaged Research Project is comparing the effects of migration versus refugee policy and how it affects people on the individual level and the community level. I want to research how migrant policies and regulations lead to gentrification of an area. In addition, I want many of the sources that tell us the effects of these policies and regulations to be people. I am concerned with how policy impacts people on the individual level; I want to know more about the stories of people, and all the different ways one person may be impacted by seemingly unrelated policies.  I will conduct my research first on the national policy level, then on the community level, and then on the individual level. Then, I plan to draw the lines of connection among these levels of policy and impact to see how the interconnections and compounding of policies influence the lives of real people. After further consideration of the different aspects of the life of a migrant, in particular that of a refugee or asylum seeker, I would like to delve deeper into how policy and community attitude affects the social life and public spaces for refugees.

            After conducting background research before traveling to Berlin, my goal is to speak to migrants, community members, and leaders of various community groups and organizations (who likely know about policies surrounding migrants, their social opportunities and activities in public spaces), and briefly interview them about how community space and acceptance has come about or been made difficult for migrants, and how policy versus community attitude played a role in this.

            So, the big research questions I have are these: How do policies implemented in Berlin regarding migrants, asylum-seekers and the composition of the community at large affect the social life of and the public spaces used by the people who live there? Furthermore, is policy more effective in causing change in the community, or is the attitude of the community more effective?

I first started thinking about pursuing a research project like this when I applied to the study abroad program. I, personally, have always been fascinated in the relationship between laws and individuals, and I wanted to find a way to connect this interest to our studies in Berlin this summer. This interest was reinforced when we read the second chapter of The Age of Migration, which focused on the migratory process. At the start of the chapter, Castle and Miller talk about the different theories for migration: economic theories, historical-structural theories, migration systems theory and transnational theory. Each section mentions the different methods by which these theories have been implemented in the real world. Predominantly, this implementation of theory has been through policy, especially for the migration systems theory and transnational theory. For instance, the macro-structures of migration systems theory include “the political economy of the world market, interstate relationships, and the laws, structures and practices established by the states of sending and receiving countries to control migration settlement”. (Castle, 27)

Another facet of policy that is addressed in Castle and Miller’s chapter is how inherent “internal dynamics of the migratory process…often confound expectations of the participants and undermines the objectives of policy-makers in both sending and receiving countries”. (Castle, 31) Furthermore, Castle and Miller argue that there has been a “failure of policy makers and analysts to see international migration as a dynamic social process” which has caused many problems, and that this is due to a focus on economic models and individual motives for migration. Therefore, I would like to try to investigate and analyze the different motives for migration in Germany, and see if the current policy and social systems are set up to appropriately match and account for those motives.

In addition to finding inspiration from the Age of Migration, I was fascinated by the articles we read on gentrification. In particular, I was fascinated by how Berliners have been dealing with the effects of gentrification in neighborhoods like Kreuzberg. The article that we read titled “In Berlin, a Grass-Roots Fight Against Gentrification as Rents Soar” outlined how grass roots movements to halt gentrification have pressured local authorities to “put into effect a slate of measures, including rent caps, a partial ban on vacation rentals, development-free zones and increased social housing subsidies” to address the housing market and “conserve the diverse social and cultural makeup of city center”. (Wilder) I’m really curious about these regulations that the authorities in Berlin have put in place to stem gentrification. In addition, the article doesn’t really touch on how these regulations impact the huge influx of migrants and asylum-seekers in recent years, so I would love to research more about that.

Because I was interested in finding out more of what the actual process of migration for asylum-seekers, I went to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees to look up the stages of the asylum procedure. In particular, I became interested in the policies of how asylum seekers are distributed, and what procedures lead to resettlement and qualification. The BAMF website focused mainly on the big picture of the asylum seeking process and policy, so I hope to be able to learn more about the individual experience of an asylum seeker and see if their experiences matches with the seemingly efficient system that BAMF describes.

In order to get a jump on learning about the individual experiences of asylum seekers and how community programs and policies impact those experiences, I did some preliminary research based on news articles that have come out in the past few years about refugees in Berlin. In particular, an article about a group of residents attempting to combat the gentrification of Berlin by creating an initiative to have milieuschutz in their area. The article describes milieuschutz as “social environment protection”, so that “real estate is shielded against owners’ attempts to renovate and modernise it to the extent that existing residents could be forced out.” (Coldwell) In the same article, a local city councilor explains about the measures he has been taking to increase awareness of what residents “have to tolerate and what they don’t” in regards to rent and living spaces. This article focused more on gentrification, but I would like to dig deeper to see if similar actions are taking place in regards to public and community spaces for migrants in Berlin; are people being forced out of these spaces in the same way? Is the community creating initiatives like the milieuschutz in regards to public spaces?

In another article that I was reading about the refugee crisis, there was a passage I found to be extremely relevant to what I am researching: “the failure to include urban leaders as critical participants in European and global deliberations mean that policies will be developed in a vacuum without the benefit of solutions forged on the ground in real time.” (Katz) It was really encouraging to see that many people are already thinking about the disconnect that can sometimes occur between policy makers and people on the ground, and motivated me to continue my research, because I think a lot of people are going to have a lot to say about this topic.

Of course, before investigating these topics, I must consider my own biases and perspective. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, which is a medium-sized city that is predominantly white. I have also been lucky enough to live in a stable home and home life situation my whole life, and have never been suddenly displaced from my home. I like to think that my upbringing was very liberal, and that I do my best to be of bias in my daily interactions, it’s unlikely that I am entirely free of influence. I anticipate that dealing with language barriers with be very challenging for me, as my first language was English and I have been surrounded by people who speak little else for much of my life, but I hope to be able to move past this so I can have rich conversations with migrants and community members.

Based on the type of information I am looking for, I will likely do a combination of both data/information research and through observation and interaction with individuals while we are in Berlin. I will travel throughout Berlin taking qualitative notes on the people I meet and the places I go, and hopefully interview different community members, migrants, and leaders of nonprofits who have knowledge of changing policies and community attitudes.

When I conduct an interview, I plan to ask open-ended questions, and hopefully each interview will be at least ten to fifteen minutes in length so I can ask follow up questions. I have come up with a few starting questions below:

-          Do you know about this community project? (Schlesiche 27, or other relevant projects)

-          How did you find out about this community project?

-          (To non-migrant community members) What has it been like to have so many migrants coming into Berlin, and this neighborhood? How do you feel about it?

-          (To migrants) What has your experience been like migrating to Berlin? How has this community project impacted your experience?

-          Do you know about any policies that have helped migrants to integrate into the community? On the flip side, do you know about policies that have hindered this integration?

-          In your opinion, do you think policies have made a bigger impact than community action, or vice versa, for creating public spaces for migrants to gather, feel welcome, and express themselves? Why?

In addition to talking with people individually, I will be collecting information by taking pictures and videos of people and events that I attend or observe at public spaces where migrants can be social and express themselves. These pieces of evidence will be paired with comments from individuals attending or observing the event, some of which may be my own reflections on the situation.

6. DAILY SCHEDULE in Berlin.

-          People:

o   Directors of non-profits in Kreuzberg who understand the overlap between the policies and the people

o   Migrants and asylum-seekers (if they are willing to tell their story)

o   Individuals impacted by rising rents and gentrification in Kreuzberg

o   (potentially) authority figures

-          Places

o   Public transportation

o   Locations:

§  Schlesische 27

§  Berlin Center for Integrative Mediation

§  Kreuzberg Museum

§  Site of the camp after the 2014-2015 marches in Kreuzberg

§  Bantabaa restaurant

§  A refugee arrival center in/near Berlin

-          Equipment

o   Notebooks, laptop, audio recording device and camera (both on my phone)

-          Information I will gather

o   Notes and potentially audio recordings from conversations

o   Pictures (of people, places, workplaces of migrants, etc.)

o   Data on income, standard of living, unemployment, population distribution, and other relevant metrics to compare the experiences of migrants versus other Berliners.

REFERENCES

Caste, Stephen, and Mark J. Miller. “The Migratory Process and the Formation of Ethnic Minorities.” The Age of Migration. New York, NY: Guilford, 2014. 20-49. Print.

Coldwell, Will. "Refugees Tell a Different Berlin Story." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Nov. 2015. Web. 10 May 2017.

Katz, Bruce, Luise Noring, and Nantke Garrelts. "Cities and Refugees: The German Experience | Brookings Institution." Brookings. Brookings, 11 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 May 2017.

"Political Institutions And Asylum Policies – The Case Of Germany." Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management 4.2 (2016): 122. 2016. Web. May 2017.

"The Stages of the Asylum Procedure." BAMF - Bundesamt Für Migration Und Flüchtlinge - The Stages of the Asylum Procedure. Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.

"Statistical Data on Refugees." Data of the Federal Statistical Office. N.p., 2017. Web. 01 June 2017.

Wilder, Charly. "In Berlin, a Grass-Roots Fight Against Gentrification as Rents Soar." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.