Hye-Young Haubner, Universität Bielefeld
Nowadays, the integration of Germany´ s former working migrants and their children has turned into a major topic in public debate in Germany. Within this debate, migrants are usually portrayed as passive and unable to adapt to their new surroundings.
I assume that contrary to this dominant public perception, various activities take place that are socially relevant, i.e. activities that enable migrants to engage in societal processes and therefore fulfill an integrative function. (The term “societal“ comprises political, social, religious, and cultural aspects.)
In my PhD research project, I will explore political, social, cultural, and religious activities of South Korean working migrants in order to gain empirical insights into the simultaneities and heterogeneities of integration processes. In the case of South Korean migrants, activities cover the whole spectrum – from every day social interactions to direct political claims-making.
During the 1960s and 1970s 20,000 South Koreans were officially recruited to work in German hospitals and mines. About one third of these working migrants still live in Germany. They engage/-d in transnational societal activities such as support of the Democratization movement in South Korea or – on a global level – of the Women´ s Movement. Other activities comprise a signature campaign in 1978 through which South Korean nurses successfully fought for their right of residence in Germany. At the every day level, activities range from reading German and Korean newspapers to cooking Korean food with German colleagues or friends.
South Korean migrants in Germany often channel their activities into non-profit migrant self-organizations (Vereine). Therefore, I treat migrant self-organizations as a link between individual life stories and the social, political, economic, and discursive setting in the country of emigration and immigration.
The high number of South Korean organizations and the great variety with regard to the functions they fulfill reflects to some extent the heterogeneity within the South Korean community. To fully account for this heterogeneity, I will combine research on organizational activities with biographical interviews.