22.07.2026 The Role of Human Rights in Conflicts over Migration
DFG Research Unit MeDiMi Receives Funding for Another Four Years – Interdisciplinary Project of the Universities of Giessen and Marburg and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
In conflicts over migration, the parties involved frequently invoke human rights to articulate their interests and identities - whether in legal proceedings, political disputes, or everyday interactions. The Research Unit “Human Rights Discourses in the Migration Society” (MeDiMi) describes this phenomenon as the “human rights framing" (Vermenschenrechtlichung) of discourses in migration societies and is dedicated to the empirical investigation and theoretical development of this concept.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has now selected MeDiMi for a second funding period from 2027 to 2031. The successful research on the role of human rights in conflicts over migration will continue through seven new individual projects at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Philipps University Marburg, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands). Researchers from the University of Marburg involved in the project include Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel and Dr. Mina Ibrahim from the Center for Conflict Studies and the Institute of Political Science.
During its first funding phase (2022–2026), the Research Unit examined the phenomenon of the “human rights framing” of migration-related discourse from legal, social science, and cultural studies perspectives. In the second phase, the group aims to address the profound societal changes that have taken place in recent years.
“We are observing that the human rights of migrants are increasingly and systematically being called into question,” said Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bast, spokesperson for the Research Unit and professor at JLU’s Faculty of Law. “We therefore ask: How are actors who advocate for the participation and inclusion of migrants responding to this situation? Do they continue to invoke human rights, and is this strategy still effective? More broadly, does the constellation we describe as the ‘human rights framing’ of migration discourse continue to shape society as a whole?”
The DFG is providing MeDiMi with funding of up to €4.4 million, of which approximately €3.6 million will go to the coordinating institution, Justus Liebig University Giessen. Around three-quarters of the approved funding is earmarked for positions for early-career researchers. The participating disciplines include law, political science, cultural studies, and educational science.
“We are addressing one of the most pressing societal challenges of our time, one that can only be adequately understood through interdisciplinary research,” explained Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel, deputy spokesperson of the Research Unit and professor at the Center for Conflict Studies in Marburg. “Only through such an approach can we understand how belonging is negotiated in migration societies.”
“The extension of MeDiMi is a testament to the outstanding quality of research in the humanities and social sciences at our universities, as well as to the success of academic cooperation in Central Hesse and beyond,” said Prof. Dr. Katharina Lorenz, President of Justus Liebig University Giessen. “Especially in light of the increasingly polarized public debate on migration, we are delighted that this important work will continue.”
