Activities
The topic of migration has become increasingly important in Europe in recent years. However, social debates rarely go beyond current political and media descriptions of problems. The FuturMig research area is therefore concerned with futures of migration and how this is negotiated in debates, in various practical areas of education and in migration research.
In doing so, the Science Space is responding to a double research gap:
- How and with what consequences are futures of migration produced and negotiated in research and practice?
- What could a reflexive approach look like that takes into account the contingency of the link between the future and migration, and what would such a view achieve in research and practice?
To answer these questions, the Science Space pursues three goals:
1. Networking and cooperation
Migration research in Lower Saxony will be further strengthened through the networking of outstanding research institutions in Lower Saxony in the field of migration.
With its complementary competencies and research focuses, the network is ideally suited to dealing with the complex topic of 'migration futures'. The network has close links to the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), which was co-founded by IMIS and the state of Lower Saxony, and has a wide range of international connections. FuturMig also aims to establish an international visiting professorship.
2. Migration futures in research and practice
A key objective of FuturMig is to survey the state of research on the future of migration, which will be expanded to include our own empirical work. In doing so, FuturMig examines the conditional contexts of migration-related visions of the future and the role these play in social visions of the future in general. By looking at current and past perspectives and expectations of the future, it is theoretically and empirically worked out what role migration plays in society's self-image and how it is therefore negotiated and shaped.
FuturMig focuses primarily on the production of 'migration futures' in educational contexts - from pre-school institutions, schools and universities to civil society initiatives, museums and memorials. This perspective is reflexive because it also analyzes the role of migration research as part of this production.
3. Mediation and transfer
The research area aims to establish a close relationship between research and practice by using and establishing various formats for the transfer of findings and results. The aim is to make the reflection on the social production of 'migration futures' fruitful from university teaching to teacher training and teacher training to places of learning in political and cultural education in Lower Saxony.
As part of the project, a cross-university certificate will be developed to prepare and train (Teacher Education) students, teachers and specialists in the best possible way to (reflexively) deal with migration-related diversity as a demographic normality.
Participation formats and interventions are tested and debates are held with social organizations and groups in a real-world laboratory on the culture of history and remembrance.