Main Content

Doing Human Rights: How the Categories of “Human” and “Migrant” are made (Ir-)Relevant in Everyday Life (MeDiMi)

The “vernacularization of human rights” of discourses in migration society in everyday life refers to the tensions between differentiations and claims to equality in everyday interactions. We assume that such interactions are simultaneously permeated by migration-related distinctions and supported by the assertion of a universal postulate of equality. In this constellation, arenas emerge in which practices of (un)doing migrant intertwine with those of (un)doing human in a conflictual manner. Whether and how a Doing Human Rights while Doing Migrant becomes effective is a central analytical question. We examine practices of making the personal category ‘migrant’ and the de-differentiation category ‘human being’ relevant and irrelevant in conflictual, semi-public everyday situations and analyse the conditions of their implementation. The focus is also on the role that the reference to human rights plays in these categorisation processes - both in their concrete implementation and with regard to their consequences for everyday communication. The empirical basis is formed by contrasting ethnographic field research in the areas of school, religion, sport and youth work.

The project is one of 10 sub-projects of the DFG research group Human Rights Discourses in the Migration Society (MeDiMi), which is headed by the Justus Liebig University in Giessen.

Project Period: 2022-2026
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Team: Prof. Dr. Darius Zifonun, Tasnim Jabaly, Sebastian Weste

Publications

Zifonun, Dariuš and Röder, Anja (2024) Methodische Herausforderungen der empirischen Migrationssoziologie. In: Anja Röder and Dariuš Zifonun (eds.) Handbuch Migrationssoziologie. Wiesbaden: Springer, pp. 3–18. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-20772-4_1