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

The project explores the "Vermenschenrechtlichung" of migration-related discourses in everyday life. It observes that everyday interactions are characterized by various migration-related distinctions as well as the recognition of universal equality. However, this recognition makes interaction an arena in which practices of (un)doing migrant and (un)doing human can conflict in diverse ways. The project examines whether and how doing human rights while doing migrant is operationalized in these conflicts.

The project aims to clarify how the categorization of 'migrant' and the decategorization of 'human' are operationalized in semi-public interactions marked by conflict, as well as the factors that determine their enforcement. Additionally, the project seeks to investigate the role of human rights in categorization practices, focusing on how the reference to human rights is executed and how it may lead to potential consequences for everyday communication. Contrasting ethnographic fieldwork will be conducted in four areas: schools, religion, sports, and youth
work.

The project is one of 10 subprojects of the DFG Research Group "Human Rights Discourses in the Migration Society (MeDiMi)", which is headed by the Professorship of Public Law and European Law at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen.

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