Every Room. Is Its Own Culture

Transcription

1 Every Room Is Its Own Cuture Since 2015, around 1.4 miion refugees have appied for asyum in Germany. They woud ike to find sanctuary or a new home here. How firm a foothod they gain in their new ife depends on a number of factors. Researchers at the Max Panck Institute for the Study of Reigious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen are taking a coser ook at what needs and goas the refugees have and whether these can be fufied. 18 MaxPanckResearch 1 18

2 FOCUS_Migration Photo: Reto Kar TEXT TIM SCHRÖDER M any peope wi remember 2015 for a ong time to come. In the course of just a few months, Germany and many other European nations experienced a refugee infux unike any seen since the Second Word War. In Germany aone, the number of asyum appications that year approached 500,000 from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. That s 500,000 cherished dreams of a better future; 500,000 men, women and chidren, each with their very own persona ife story, each with their very own dreams for the future. The course of their future ife in Germany began taking shape with the first sheter they were paced in. Many refugees ived in arge has in which seeping quarters were separated from one another ony by simpe partitions. Sometimes more than ten peope had to share iving space. There was constant noise because the separate compartments weren t aowed to have ceiings. Other refugees were shetered in apartments, providing greater privacy. Difficut conditions: Refugees who are housed in factory buidings on the outskirts of the city are at a disadvantage in many ways. Not ony is there a ack of quiet and privacy, but often aso of shopping opportunities, medica services and vounteer hepers. Overa, Germany did a good job finding sheter for a these peope within a short period of time everyone had food to eat and a roof over their head, says Shahd Wari at the Max Panck Institute for the Study of Reigious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen. The numerous initiatives of administrative 1 18 MaxPanckResearch 19

3 FOCUS_Migration» The feeing of arbitrariness and poweressness is one of the biggest probems for many asyum seekers. bodies and of the many vounteers achieved a great dea. However, the researcher and her coeagues at the Institute are interested in the detais. Above a, they want to understand how the asyum seekers themseves perceived their situation. In a study financed by the Vokswagen Foundation, the researchers investigated what needs and goas the refugees have as we as what their initia conditions were upon arriving in Germany. Research was initiay carried out in Göttingen both the city and the surrounding district, which together have taken in around 1,500 refugees in the past two years. The researchers accompanied asyum seekers in their dayto-day ife and interviewed them. They spoke with the operators of refugee accommodations and with experts from government agencies and the administration, as we as with socia workers and independent vounteers. THE AUTHORITIES ACKNOWLEDGE ONLY FIVE CATEGORIES Our resuts are both simpe and extremey compex: unike what media reports suggest, it became cear that there isn t just one kind of refugee, says Basic knowedge: Ony those who earn German can gain a foothod here. However, asyum seekers aren t eigibe for a paid German course as ong as their asyum procedure is sti pending which can take months. Shahd Wari. The persona backgrounds of the peope differ greaty. This means that there can be no one-size-fits-a soution if we want to hep asyum seekers estabish a firm foothod in Germany. This insight seems amost trivia after a, it is we known that peope differ from one another. Yet the individuaity of asyum seekers is often given itte consideration in day-to-day ife. It begins with authorities simpisticay assigning asyum seekers to one of five categories based on nationaity, gender, age, heath and ega status. These categories are aso often used when pacing asyum seekers in refugee accommodations. Such a basis for cassification is extremey crude and can give rise to confict. To give just one specific exampe from Göttingen: four women ive together in a room in a coective accommodation. Two of them fa into the same five categories of the cassification system, but their needs for privacy are very different. One of them woud ike to take off her headscarf when she is in her room, but she s afraid of being seen through the window. The operator therefore paced a privacy fim over the window so no one can see into the room. The other person, in contrast, perceives the privacy fim, not as something that protects her privacy, but as something that imits her abiity to ook out the window, and therefore fees ike she is in a prison. The goa of our study initiay was to understand the needs and aspirations of asyum seekers. After a, we are conducting basic research, expains Shahd Wari. On the other hand, our in-depth insight has ed to the deveopment of some ideas as to how conditions coud be improved. For exampe, Photo: Amac Garbe 20 MaxPanckResearch 1 18

4 Poitics Education Socia Goethe Institute FABI Vounteering Administration Citizens Initiatives Vounteers Adut Education Centers West City Center Hepers Activists Foreigners Office Federa Empoyment Agency Socia Administration Refugee Law Cinic Integration Counci Conquer Babe Asyum Seeker Poiticians Migration Center Socia Workers Charity Organizations as Faciity Operators KAZ Reigious Communities (Ditib, St. Godehard) MUSA Reigion Job Center Refugee Counci Mayor Sports Cubs Cuture City Counci Department Heads Confusing compexity: Asyum seekers are confronted with numerous different contacts. The Göttingen-based research project ceary showed just how difficut it is for them to understand who is responsibe for what. Graphic: Max Panck Institute for the Study of Reigious and Ethnic Diversity it woud make sense to ook beyond the five main categories when providing accommodation. In this regard, it woud hep if agency empoyees were to earn more about the various socia and poitica backgrounds in the countries of origin and not just with regard to differences between traditiona and modern ways of ife. It s aso important to consider various socia strata and ethnicities that have conficts in their country of origin, as can be the case with Kurds and Arabs in Iraq. This woud reduce the potentia for confict in the accommodations. In many cases it is a question of profoundy human characteristics individua desires that are rarey taken into consideration in daiy ife, says Shahd Wari. For exampe, in some accommodations, many peope must share one kitchen and one set of washing faciities peope with very different habits and needs when it comes to order and ceaniness. It is precisey in coective accommodations that more conficts are reported, which is perfecty understandabe in ight of human nature, says Shahd Wari. In one buiding, there were disputes reating to a teevision that had been donated. There was constant commotion in the haway where the teevision had been instaed. Peope came from other parts of the buiding at a hours of the day and night, so those who wanted to go to bed eary coud hardy get any rest. BOTH SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS AND FACTS ARE IMPORTANT What s specia about the study of the researchers in Göttingen is that it s one of the first of its kind to use scientific interview methods to systematicay investigate the situation of asyum seekers. At the peak of the refugee crisis, many decisions were made on an ad hoc basis without undertaking a precise anaysis of the situation of the asyum seekers. And perhaps there was no other way to go about it, says Wari. The study the researchers now present is a sort of we-paced status quo report. In expert interviews with operators and representatives of government agencies, the researchers inquired about the financing and organization of the accommodations. Focus group discussions, in turn, provided the researchers with more information about the needs of the asyum seekers: in these groups, severa asyum seekers met to discuss their famiy situation, their concern for those eft behind, and other topics such as daiy ife in Germany. The interviewers refrained from asking too many questions and et the conversation take its course. We aso spent a great dea of time with individua asyum seekers, went on excursions with them or accompanied them on visits to the doctor or appointments with the authorities, says Shahd Wari. In the terminoogy of socia scien MaxPanckResearch 21

5 Access to Bathroom Privacy Singe Room Sports Invisibiity to the Outside German Courses Leisure Activities Normaity Activity Courses Education Sex Own Housing Prayer Room Shisha & Cigarettes Decision Making Jobs Conservation of Vaues and Famiy Hierarchies Human Rights Roof Community Room # of Persons/WC Eectric Kette Autonomy Shutters Respect for Privacy Respect & Dignity Financia Security Transation Lega Status Famiy Formation Certainty Pubic Transportation Internet Shopping Driving License Mobiity Cooking Money Language Information Famiy Famiy Unification Security Resources (materia/ immateria) Communication Doctor s Appointments/Ambuance Heath Donations Condoms Bikes Food Socia Networks Neighbourhood Psychoogica Support Physica Integrity tists, this is known as the hanging-out method spending time together to earn more about the needs and viewpoints of others. Now, when I wak through Göttingen, I often meet peope who greet me and ask if I can hep with this or that, for exampe transating a etter from the authorities. A GOOD START DEPENDS ON CHANCE The researchers spent an entire year on the study and aso attended many pubic events on the topic of asyum seekers. During this time, they earned that the desires of many asyum seekers a job, a pace in a kindergarten, an apartment are, of course, the same as those shared by many Germans. In addition, asyum seekers have probems that few Germans have firsthand experience with primariy as regards the enormous uncertainty invoved, such as the ong-term perspective. Asyum seekers have different chances of being recognized and aowed to stay in Germany depending on their country of origin. The situation is aso difficut because the refugees must sometimes wait severa months for a hearing with the federa authorities, says Shahd Wari. During this time, they aren t aowed to take German courses. It s difficut to make one s way in a foreign country without sufficient knowedge of the oca anguage. Another point of concern for many asyum seekers is the feeing that they aren t in contro of their ives and are more or ess governed by outside forces. To a great extent, a good start in Germany depends on chance, the researcher says. There are a variety of reasons for this: for one, the reguations vary from one German state to the next, and sometimes even from one city to the next. In some federa states, for instance, officia asyum seekers are obigated to remain in the ocation to which they were originay assigned. Lower Saxony imposes no such residency requirement. Moreover, many new rues have been added since 2015, in part due to new statutes. As a resut, asyum seekers can be treated differenty depending on which set of rues is being appied. It eads to frustration and uncertainty when one asyum seeker is paced in a worse position than another athough they are both in the same situation or ive in the same accommodation, says Shahd Wari. For exampe, in some cases, asyum seekers had different amounts of money aotted to them each month: We know famiies for whom this makes it difficut to pan a monthy budget for food or cothing. Those affected are bothered primariy by the fact that they can t comprehend the reasons for it. The basis for cacuation is often not cear. In other cases, detaied expanations are avaiabe ony in German. Graphic: Max Panck Institute for the Study of Reigious and Ethnic Diversity 22 MaxPanckResearch 1 18

6 FOCUS_Migration Left Human needs: The researchers in Göttingen categorize what each individua views as important. Some desires are rather persona, but many are fundamenta and easy for everyone to understand. Right Different perspectives: As an architect and urban panner, Shahd Wari (eft) concentrates on spatia conditions and needs, whie ethnoogist Annett Feischer (right) investigates iving conditions. Photo: Amac Garbe There are aso differences in accommodations. Some asyum seekers have the good fortune to quicky be aotted their own apartment others ive in a coective accommodation for more than a year. This feeing of arbitrariness, of poweressness is one of the greatest probems for many of the asyum seekers we spoke with, says the Max Panck researcher. Shahd Wari hersef is from Paestine and speaks Arabic. I was easiy abe to hod conversations with asyum seekers from Syria or Iraq. This heped enormousy to estabish trust. Nevertheess, many asyum seekers are hesitant about opening up to others because they experienced so many terribe things in the course of their fight, but aso because so many institutions are invoved. Government authorities, charitabe institutions, transators from officia offices and private individuas. Who can be trusted? Who has a say? Who is merey offering good advice? Many were afraid of saying something wrong, of uttering something that woud endanger their chances of receiving asyum, says Shahd Wari. As a resut, some don t trust the officia transators in the government offices. Under these circumstances. it woud hep if the asyum seekers coud bring aong a trusted person who coud hep with transation. THE RESEARCHERS WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH TRUST Shahd Wari came to the team as an architect and urban panner, so she is especiay interested in the spatia needs of the asyum appicants and in architectura aspects of the accommodations. Socioogist Susanne Becker and ethnoogist Annett Feischer aso worked with the team and generay devoted themseves to the iving conditions of the asyum seekers. The study is currenty entering its second phase. Cutura anthropoogist Simona Pagano is new to the team. One insight we arrived at during the first study is that many asyum seekers who are housed in different types of refugee accommodations have differing degrees of success in gaining a foothod in daiy ife, she says. We want to understand more precisey just which factors are crucia here. During the second phase, Pagano woud especiay ike to investigate whether there are differences between different accommodations and ocations even when the operator is the same. She wi work on this project not ony in Göttingen, but aso in Wofsburg, to enabe better comparisons. There are aready initia indications of why various accommodations do, in fact, offer differing starting conditions. Location can pay a roe. Housing on the outskirts of the city, for instance, has the disadvantage of poor accessibiity. Buses run ess often, it takes onger to reach the city, and ikewise to trave 1 18 MaxPanckResearch 23

7 FOCUS_Migration to appointments with authorities and doctors or even to informationa events at which asyum seekers can receive important tips on day-to-day ife or exchange views with one another. But that s just one factor, says Simona Pagano. We want to gain a cearer understanding of why one refugee accommodation is more successfu than another. More successfu in that asyum seekers there quicky adapt to daiy ife. MIGRANTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN DAILY LIFE TO THE POINT Simona Pagano doesn t ike to use the word integration. She prefers to speak of participation. Socia scientists and migration researchers regard the concept of integration as too nebuous, as it is very vague about what it takes for peope to gain a foothod in a society. Moreover, it is often confated with the concept of assimiation which describes how peope adopt customs, traditions and rues of a society in order to bend in. Participation is more accurate. What form this participation takes can vary from one person to the next, says Pagano. For one person, money and work are important, and for another, socia contacts or privacy. In principe, the key is to be abe to participate as much as possibe in a aspects of norma daiy ife. In interviews for radio stations and newspapers, the researchers in Göttingen have often been asked what constitutes successfu integration. If ony it were that simpe, says Wari. For me, the first step is to understand that there isn t just one kind of refugee. The circumstances are different for every refugee in terms of their background as we as the iving conditions in the refugee accommodations or the city in which they ive. Steven Vertovec, Director at the Max Panck Institute in Göttingen, emphasizes that migrants have highy diverse socia skis and backgrounds that, from the outset, make it easier or more difficut for them to find their way in Germany: Some asyum seekers are abe to deveop cordia reationships with the oca popuation even if they don t have good anguage skis. Others earn German we, find a job, and sti have hardy any socia contacts. A of these differences accumuate in the accommodations. One refugee summarized the situation quite eoquenty to my coeague Susanne Becker, says Shahd Wari: In his opinion, every room is its own cuture. That hits the nai on the head. The researchers have aso noticed this based on how incrediby difficut it sometimes is to find a suitabe transator. There are many who can hep with Arabic, but for a refugee from a mountain region in Iran, from Baochistan, one coud ook for months and sti not find a transator, making a hearing with the German Federa Office for Migration and Refugees impossibe. And even if a transator is avaiabe, it is often difficut to estabish a good rapport with the refugee, because very private matters surface very quicky. For many asyum seekers, the road to sef-determination and a secure daiy ife in Germany is ong. Above a, the initia steps are difficut. Simona Pagano, Shahd Wari and Susanne Becker now want to find further answers to the question of how this road can be made ess rocky in the future. The researchers have since become friends with many asyum seekers. We spend a ot of time together, even competey independenty of our working hours, says Wari. During the year of the study, she particuary enjoyed one meeting pace a cafe in Göttingen where ocas and asyum seekers coud easiy meet and chat. What was specia about it was that ony one of two drinks ordered had to be paid for. The one for the asyum seeker was on the house or paid for by other guests. Any paces where peope can forge contacts are very important to Shahd Wari group hobby courses, group breakfasts. There are numerous options. What s important, in the end, is that soidarity and cooperation are estabished between refugees and ocas. Researchers conducted a detaied investigation into the situation of asyum seekers in refugee accommodations in Göttingen in order to earn their needs and goas, as we as their subjective perspective of the situation. This work made cear how diverse the group of refugees is. It is hoped that the resuts of the study wi hep make it easier for refugees to gain a foothod in Germany right from the start. For instance, they shoud be informed ceary and transparenty from the outset of their rights and duties, and of the steps invoved in the asyum procedure. In addition, those responsibe for the refugees shoud make greater efforts to take their basic needs into account. 24 MaxPanckResearch 1 18

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