300093 Cosmopolitanism from Below? Refugees, States and Civil Society in Comparative Perspective (LEH) (WiSe 2016/2017)

This course asks whether it is possible that refugees and natives interact in mutually beneficial ways. What are the mechanisms of mutual adjustment which ensures benefits on both sides? Are there cases in which the host communities or societies have proactively changed their ways of organizing important spheres of life in order to accommodate the in-migration of newcomers? Are cases such as Riace in Italy examples of social relations at eye level and cosmopolitanism from below (e.g. http://www.euronews.com/2015/10/16/riace-italy-a-haven-for-refugees)? The students will develop and carry out their own research projects on crucial cases shedding light on these questions.

The main language of this course is English. Nonetheless, project reports in German are accepted.

Literaturangaben

N. Elias & J.L. Scotson. The established and the outsiders: a sociological enquiry into community problems. London: Cass, 1965.
F. Kurasawa. A Cosmopolitanism from Below: Alternative Globalization and the Creation of a Solidarity without Bounds. European Journal of Sociology 45, 2 (2005): 233 – 255