Willkommenskultur in East and West Germany: Examining through protest how and why levels of xenophobia and acceptance of refugees/migrants vary between the former GDR and FRG
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
This thesis aims to evaluate the successes and setbacks of the German willkommenskultur in terms of the levels of xenophobia and acceptance of recent migrants in the former East and West German territories. This will be accomplished through the lens of a comparative analysis of the major protests concerning immigration that happened across the country in the years 2015 and 2018, paying special attention to the ways sentiments of xenophobia and welcome clash within the public sphere. It will also offer theory for these why these differences occur in connection to Germany’s divided history from 1949-1990. The outcome of this study will not only provide a new insight on Germany’s willkommenskultur, but will also lay foundation for further assertions about attitudes towards migrants in relation to state histories.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Pablo Bose
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Global Studies
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
Willkommenskultur in East and West Germany: Examining through protest how and why levels of xenophobia and acceptance of refugees/migrants vary between the former GDR and FRG
This thesis aims to evaluate the successes and setbacks of the German willkommenskultur in terms of the levels of xenophobia and acceptance of recent migrants in the former East and West German territories. This will be accomplished through the lens of a comparative analysis of the major protests concerning immigration that happened across the country in the years 2015 and 2018, paying special attention to the ways sentiments of xenophobia and welcome clash within the public sphere. It will also offer theory for these why these differences occur in connection to Germany’s divided history from 1949-1990. The outcome of this study will not only provide a new insight on Germany’s willkommenskultur, but will also lay foundation for further assertions about attitudes towards migrants in relation to state histories.