300675 Seeking Greener Pastures: Contemporary trends among German emigrants Part 2 (LEH: Soziologie der globalen Welt - LF2) (LEH) (WiSe 2023/2024)

According to figures from the German Federal Census bureau, about 100,000 Germans leave per year. Who exactly is leaving? Why are they leaving? Where are they going? Are they leaving temporarily and permanently? In light of the recent demographic developments and the expected decline of the skilled workforce, political decision-makers and academics alike are interested in reliable information about the extent, causes and consequences of emigration.
In this two-semester research seminar/Lehrforschung participants will not only study the latest trends among highly skilled German emigrants, but try to explore individual and collective aspiration underlying the decision to leave Germany. Under supervision and peer-to-peer learning, participants will each work on an individual research project that investigates migratory decision-making strategies. Methodologically, these research projects are grounded in qualitative methods for data collection and analysis.
The main objective of this research seminar/Lehrforschung is to support students throughout the process of conducting an independent project, which includes selecting a relevant topic and a pragmatic scope, formulating a proper research question, detecting and consulting relevant readings and sources, designing a suitable data collection plan/schedule, conducting biographical interviews, collecting other data, presenting findings to peers and finally writing a research report. This Lehrforschung/research seminar is open to advanced students who have already successfully completed introductory courses on forced migration and qualitative methods. Participation in an excursion, to be organised by students themselves, to the Auswanderermuseum in Hamburg (or alternatively Deutsches Auswandererhaus Bremerhaven) is mandatory and funds will be provided by the faculty.

Bibliography

Andresen, Maike, Torsten Biemann und Marshall Wilson Pattie (2015) What makes them
move abroad? Reviewing and exploring differences between self-initiated and assigned
expatriation. International Journal of Human Resource Management 26(7): 932–47.

Bade, Klaus J. (Hrsg.) (1992): Deutsche im Ausland – Fremde in Deutschland. Migration in
Geschichte und Gegenwart. München: C.H. Beck.

Bürgelt, Petra T., Mandy Morgan und Regina Pernice (2008): Staying or Returning: Pre-
Migration Influences on the Migration Process of German Migrants to New Zealand.
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 18: 282–98.

Carlson, Sören (2013): Becoming a Mobile Student – a Processual Perspective on German
Degree Student Mobility. Population, Space and Place 19: 168–80.

Diehl, Claudia, und David Dixon (2005): Zieht es die besten fort? Ausmaß und Formen der
Abwanderung deutscher Hochqualifizierter in die USA. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie
und Sozialpsychologie 57: 714–34.

Diehl, Claudia, Steffen Mau und Jürgen Schupp (2008): Auswanderung von Deutschen: kein
dauerhafter Verlust von Hochschulabsolventen. DIW-Wochenbericht 75: 49–55.

Enders, Jürgen, und Lutz Bornmann (2002): Internationale Mobilität bundesdeutscher
Promovierter – Eine Sekundäranalyse der Kasseler Promoviertenstudie. Mitteilungen aus
der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung 35(1): 60–73.

Engler, Marcus, Marcel Erlinghagen, Andreas Ette, Lenore Sauer, Friedrich Scheller, Jan
Schneider und Caroline Schultz (2015): International Mobil. Motive, Rahmenbedingungen
und Folgen der Aus- und Rückwanderung deutscher Staatsbürger. Berlin.

O’Donnell, K. Molly, Renate Bridenthal und Nancy Reagin (2005): The Heimat Abroad: The
Boundaries of Germanness. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.