Reports & Actvities

From October 23-25, 2024, around 160 migration researchers gathered in Osnabrück for the kick-off conference of the Collaborative Research Center 'Production of Migration' (CRC 1604), which was launched in April. The CRC was officially opened with short speeches by Susanne Menzel-Riedl (President of Osnabrück University), Andreas Pott (CRC spokesperson) and Helen Schwenken (Director of the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, IMIS), followed by an exciting panel discussion on the challenges of migration research in socially polarized times. In the following, the focus was on the research program of the SFB: What does 'production of migration' mean? In what way do certain figures, infrastructures and spaces contribute to how migration is socially produced, negotiated and problematized? These questions were presented and discussed by Catherine Ramírez (Santa Cruz), Adrian Favell (Cork), Karen Phalet (Leuven) and Parvati Raghuram (Open University), among others. At the end of the conference, renowned scientists from Germany and abroad provided important impulses for the concrete research work of the 17 sub-projects of the Collaborative Research Center in half-day workshops. The reflection and further development of theoretical and methodological considerations benefited from the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, which brought together perspectives from a wide range of disciplines: from geography to law, from history to psychology, from sociology to linguistics.

 Further information

What is migration?
This seemingly simple question lies at the heart of the new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) "Production of Migration" at Osnabrück University. The answer, however, is far from straightforward. Why, for instance, is a Swedish woman living in Germany rarely labeled a migrant, while the children and grandchildren of Turkish immigrants born in Germany often are? What distinguishes migration from mobility? And why do the terms used to describe immigrants and their descendants change over time? 
Over the coming years, the CRC will explore these and related questions, examining how migration is defined, perceived, and politically and socially produced.  Press release (10.5.2024)

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 Program

This year’s conference of the Working Group on Geographical Migration Research (AK Geographische Migrationsforschung), held on November 23–24 in Osnabrück and organized by Christine Lang and Philip Verfürth, focused on diverse spaces of migration. Topics ranged from border zones, arrival neighborhoods, and spaces of urban inclusion and exclusion to geographical imaginations and cartographic representations of migration.

The conference contributions highlighted the wide range of factors and actors involved in shaping spaces of migration. In particular, they drew attention to the often-overlooked role of organizations and their space-related practices, categorizations, and representations. Christine Lang and Philip Verfürth, for example, argued—using the case of labor migration and migrant work—that a more systematic investigation of the organization–migration nexus holds significant potential for geographical research. Max Pochadt underscored the influence of housing companies and other landlords on the housing trajectories of migrants, while Isabel Ramos Lobato and Heike Hanhörster demonstrated how elementary schools play a critical role in producing (social) spatial inequalities and contributing to school segregation.

In the context of increasing restrictions—particularly in asylum and border policies—the agency of migrants is often overlooked. Addressing this gap, the contribution by Stefan Kordel, Tobias Weidinger, and David Spenger shed light on the often-neglected role of migrants as active volunteers, especially in rural areas of Germany. Similarly, Benjamin Etzold and Philipp Themann emphasized that even under the most adverse conditions—such as prolonged displacement, violent pushbacks, and so-called “weaponized landscapes”—migrants strive to assert and expand their scope for action. Even in seemingly hopeless situations, they develop their own coping strategies, often supported by solidarity networks.

The speakers argued that recognizing and strengthening these strategies should be a key concern of geographical migration research. Against the backdrop of powerful, and frequently violent, state efforts to control and discipline mobility, the extent to which one can—and should—speak of an "autonomy of migration" was critically and controversially debated.

In addition to exploring how spaces of migration transform over time, the contributions also examined how the temporalities of migration and arrival are shaped through the production of space. For example, Antonie Schmiz and Sylvana Jahre questioned how the concept of arrival can be understood within a reception policy that enforces a state of permanent provisionality or even non-arrival. Their work highlighted parallels between arrival and transit spaces, particularly regarding experiences of being "stranded" and the pervasive uncertainty surrounding the duration of stay.

Miriam Neßler and Heike Hanhörster demonstrated how bureaucratic “paperwork” shapes both arrival and participation, thereby co-producing the infrastructures of arrival. By intertwining perspectives on temporality and spatial-material infrastructures in migration contexts, their work extended the discussion from the previous work group conference, where a recently published special issue—“Infrastructures and Migration” (Geographica Helvetica, edited by Anna-Lisa Müller and Leonie Tuitjer)—was also presented.

The discussion on spaces of migration was enriched by a diverse range of methodological approaches. Ann-Christine Link presented findings from a quantitative analysis examining the influence of climate and environmental factors on intra-European migration. Mert Pekşen offered a critical cartographic perspective through his mapping of right-wing extremist and racist violence in Germany. Sabine von Löwis explored the use of mental maps to represent the “spaces of flight” experienced by people fleeing Ukraine, while Katja Girr investigated the interplay between space, emotions, and knowledge production in migration research using autoethnographic methods.

Examining the production of migration spaces also requires reflecting on our own role as co-producers. We engaged in in-depth discussions not only about where and how we study these spaces in our research but also about how we can—and want to—contribute our findings to the often heated public debates on migration, flight, and asylum. The announcement that the DFG has approved the Collaborative Research Center “Production of Migration” at Osnabrück University—which investigates the role of spaces in the production and negotiation of migration and places significant emphasis on geographical perspectives—provided a particularly timely and inspiring backdrop for these discussions. Exciting opportunities for collaboration between the CRC and members of the Geographical Migration Research Working Group are sure to emerge in the coming years.

Sophie Hinger, Matthias Land, Christine Lang, Philip Verfürth, Newsletter Geography (01/2024)

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This marks a significant recognition of Osnabrück’s leading role in migration research: The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding for the establishment of the Collaborative Research Center "Production of Migration" at Osnabrück University. The decision reflects both the research excellence of the institution and the innovative concept developed by a network of 17 principal investigators from Osnabrück, Berlin/Potsdam, Flensburg, Frankfurt am Main, and Münster.
Osnabrück University will receive approximately €8.3 million for the first funding phase, which runs until the end of 2027, to carry out the project.  To the press release (24.11.2023), further information:  www.producingmigration.org

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