Migration and Im/Mobility in the Global South during a Pandemic (DFG Network)


  • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to novel experiences of isolation, mobility restriction and exclusion. Mobile populations are particularly affected when borders are closed and migrants are turned away, commuters are denied border crossings, resettlements are suspended or unlawful deportations are justified by pandemic-related risks. This network brings together twenty migration researchers to collect data, build theory, and gain new knowledge about the impact of the pandemic on the Global South.
    DFG, 2021-2024


    Team

    Judith Altrogge

    Osnabrück University

    Jun.-Prof. Dr. Soledad Alvarez Velasco

    Heidelberg University

    Dr. Sabine Mohamed

    University of Chicago

    Dr. Tabea Scharrer

    University of Bayreuth

    Dr. Gerhild Perl

    University of Bern

    Dr. Dora Sampaio

    Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity

    Dr. Victoria Kumala Sakti

    Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity

    Dr. Megha Amrith

    Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity

    Dr. Wayne Palmer

    Bielefeld University

    Yaatsil Guevara

    Bielefeld University

    Dr. Magdalena Suerbaum

    Bielefeld University

    Dr. Monika Palmberger

    University of Vienna

    Dilshad Muhammad

    Arnold Bergstraesser Institute

    Dr. Franzisca Zanker

    Arnold Bergstraesser Institute

    Prof. Dr. Jelena Tosic

    University of St. Gallen

    Maria Lassak

    University of St. Gallen

    Dr. Katja Girr

    University of Bonn

    Prof. Dr. Magnus Treiber

    Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München



    Head

    Dr. Antje Missbach

    University of Freiburg


    Logo of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

    Project page at the Universität Bielefeld

    Research Questions

    The research network will explore the extent to which we are currently dealing with a normalisation of experiences of disconnection, isolation and structurally induced waiting. We are also interested in whether this 'new normal' will lead to an "age of immobility" and how we can sharpen this perspective conceptually.

    Contribution to International Research

    The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to unexpected and novel experiences of isolation, mobility restriction and new forms of political, social, economic and legal exclusion worldwide. Early on, measures that were aimed at containing the virus actually legitimised massive restrictions on urban, regional and international mobility. While curfews, quarantines, social distancing and mobility controls are experienced worldwide, mobile populations are particularly affected when borders are closed and migrants are turned away, commuters are denied border crossings, resettlement measures are suspended or unlawful deportations of refugees are justified by pandemic-related risks. In the course of such measures, mobile population groups and non-citizens are more than ever the target of xenophobia.

    This situation challenges us to develop alternative research approaches to a) collect data, b) gain new knowledge about the impact of the pandemic on societies of the Global South and c) contribute to theory building within the social sciences in order to programmatically reorient migration and im/mobility research.

    Research Design and Methods

    This academic network, led by Prof. Dr. Heike Drotbohm and Prof. Dr. Antje Missbach, brings together twenty migration researchers, including GIGA research fellow Dr. Christiane Fröhlich, each contributing their different empirical experiences and theoretical perspectives. For more information visit: https://uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/soziologie/fakultaet/personen/missbach/forschung/pandemie/

    The findings will be used to bring different scales of im/mobility and migration (micro, meso and macro) into a common theoretical perspective. At the same time, we want to make an important contribution to increased public awareness by critically analysing these new global fault lines. Over the course of these three years, we will use a series of workshops and the involvement of experts to share our experiences, consult with each other, promote joint publications and raise public awareness.

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