Who we are

Christoph Burkhardt, Diplom-Soziologe

Biographical statement

My research areas are comparative social policy research, ethnic diversity, and migration with a focus on public social attitudes.

Since 2008 I am PhD-Fellow of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) and member of the joint research group of the Hans-Boeckler-Foundation “Migration and social inequality: Opportunities for integration between institutions and the life course” (Migration und soziale Ungleichheit: Integrationschancen zwischen Institution und Biographie). From 2006 to 2009 I have been researcher at the University of Bremen (Prof. Steffen Mau, Chair of Political Sociology) in a project dealing with “Shifting Paradigms of Social Justice“. I am currently associated researcher in a project on Ethnic Diversity and Welfare State Solidarity (Project Investigator: Steffen Mau, Researcher: Jan Mewes), which is part of the collaborative research programme Welfare Attitudes in a Changing Europe funded by the ESF and the DFG.

Publications mainly focus on comparative public social attitudes and public evaluation of the impact of ethnic diversity on the sustainability of the welfare state.

Dissertation project

Migration and inclusion into European welfare states. Migration regimes, integration strategies, and solidarity towards immigrants

In my PhD-project I try to examine migration and the integration of immigrants into European welfare states and the impact of ethnic diversity on solidarity and attitudes towards immigrants. Of special interest is the relation between the institutional design of welfare states with regard to the incorporation framework and welfare state solidarity in general and attitudes towards immigrants in particular. The aim is to find a link between integration strategies, integration outcomes, and solidarity towards immigrants in European countries.

Fatma Ebcinoglu

Biographical statement

My research areas are education and migration, which I approach with sociological and economic theories. Particularly I focus on educational decision-making and participation of migrants. Further research areas are financing, funding, and management of higher education.

I joined BIGSSS and the research group in September 2008. During my studies of Economics and Business Administration in Hannover and London, I started specialising on the topic of higher education: I did internships at the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), and in my Diplom thesis conducted a case study on the contribution of departmental management to the reform of higher education institutions. From 2005 to 2008, I was a researcher at the Higher Education Information System (HIS), working primarily on the financing and funding of higher education, higher education policy, and tuition fees and study conditions.

Dissertation project

Higher Education Attainment of Second Generation Turkish Migrants in Germany: Rational Choice Making within a Social Context

Studies on educational participation of migrants have shown that at the transition into higher education, students of Turkish origin tend to opt for a university degree significantly more commonly than non-immigrant German students. This phenomenon and its underlying mechanisms are the focal point of my research. The theoretical framework combines an economic approach to educational decisions with the sociology of migration, thus standing in the tradition of Economic Sociology.

First, a quantitative analysis will be conducted to examine whether and to what extent Turkish origin high school graduates enter university more frequently than their German counterparts. A qualitative analysis employing problem-centered interviews shall then give more insight into the decision-making process, the meaning of higher education and the impact of family and friendship networks for Turkish migrant students, contrasting these with German students. The assumption is that familial and social relations of Turkish origin students have an effect of enhancing the perceived benefits and lowering the perceived costs of higher education.

Janne Grote, M.A.

Biographical statement

I joined the joint research group in September 2008. My scientific interest in migration research started several years before during my undergraduate studies of sociology, anthropology and political science at the University of Münster. I concentrated on migration and integration research, research on racism and diversity as well as societal development. I changed Universities for my graduate studies and moved to Hamburg where I expanded my research interests to identity theory, stigmatisation processes and group dynamics. This resulted in my thesis on the identity construction of the second immigrant generation and my current Ph.D project.

Besides my work as a student assistant in migration research for Dr. Uwe Hunger in Münster (2003-2005) I undertook an anthropological fieldwork in Peru in cooperation with students of the Universidad Nacional el Centro del Peru (08/09 2003) and did an internship at the Center for Immigration NRW (08/09 2004).

Since 2005 I’ve been working as an assistant for the managing editor of the Financial Times Germany and in the same time I cofounded and worked as a member of the editorial board of the Journal 360°.

In 2009 I started teaching on the course “Symbolic Interactionism” in the Department of Sociology at University of Bremen

Dissertation project

Identity management of the second immigrant generation in transition after graduation

Adolescents face several emotional and identificational challenges in transition after graduation. From an interactionist perspective, especially new interaction partners call for new negotiations of their self positioning. Additional complexity emerges within the identity management of the second immigrant generation as they can choose out of a double setting of one and the same identity category, such as their national, cultural or linguistic identity of the country of origin of their parents and Germany.

In an own qualitative panel research with more then 30 adolescents from different schools in Hamburg, I’ll try to understand, which challenges are described by the adolescents in transition after graduation concerning their identity? Do such challenges exist which especially trigger the double setting of identity categories? And does that lead to different identity management strategies between those adolescents with and without a migration background?

Maike Koschorreck, M.A.

Biographical statement:

Before I joined the BIGSSS-Hans-Boeckler research group in 2010, I studied Cultural Studies/Anthropology and British/American Studies at the University of Bremen. My research interests during my studies included Australian (post)colonial history, multiculturalism and Indigenous studies as well as intersectional approaches to signifying processes (stigmatization, stereotypes) and discriminatory practices in ethnically diverse societies. Accordingly, I also conducted parts of my studies and the research for my Magister thesis at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Besides the research fields mentioned above, I have also developed an interest in discourse theory as well as migration studies in connection with identity constructions, health (mainly ethno-psychoanalysis and trauma) and education. My current doctoral research combines several of the research focuses of my studies and is concerned with discourses on cultural diversity and consequent discriminatory practices in the public educational system.
Among other things, I have worked as a student assistant at the Institute for Cultural Research (bik) at the University of Bremen and the cooperation project BremerForum: Diversity. I also have become involved in the organization of intercultural youth exchange, for example as a member of the selection committee for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm des Deutschen Bundestages).

Dissertation project:

Cultural Diversity as an Institutional Challenge for Educational Organisations (working title)

A culturally diverse student body constitutes a challenge for an increasing number of schools in Germany. In their work with culturally diverse students, educational organisations and school staff are influenced by multiple, sometimes ambiguous expectations of the social and political environment in which the schools are embedded. This environment does not only include specific institutional structures and guidelines but also prevalent national discourses. In my research project I analyse empirically the main contextual factors which influence the work with culturally diverse students in German secondary schools and the outcomes they produce in organisational practices. The dissertation project applies a qualitative methodological approach: On the level of data collection it uses a between-method-triangulation of ethnographic fieldwork (supportive) and semi-structured expert interviews with school staff (core). For the interpretation of the empirical data the method of discourse analysis is applied.

Alexa Meyer-Hamme, M.A.

Biographical statement

Before joining the research group of the Hans-Boeckler Foundation and BIGSSS in September 2009, I studied Applied Cultural Sciences at the Leuphana University Lueneburg and at the University of Seville in Spain. In my thesis, I investigated how low achievers in reading are supported in Finland. In 2008 and 2009, I worked as a research assistant in the EU-project ADORE, which compared good practice for adolescent struggling readers in eleven European countries. My current research interests are in educational disparities and in the comparison of schooling systems.

Dissertation project

Combating ethnic disparities: the role of leisure time programmes at open all-day schools in Germany (working title)

In my PhD-Project, I will explore if and in how far extracurricular afternoon programmes at German open all-day schools benefit disadvantaged migrants in terms of social and cultural capital. First, I plan to investigate from an institutional perspective, how and with which concepts behind open all-day schools try to motivate migrants to participate in leisure time programmes. Second, I intend to explore from an individual perspective, how young migrants perceive leisure time programmes regarding their set of social and cultural resources. By this means, my research contributes to better describe the interplay between institutional concepts in an open all-day school context on the one hand, and individual demands and impacts on the other hand. So far, there is only little empirical evidence for the normative function of all-day schools, which claim to better reduce social and ethnic disparities. Especially extracurricular afternoon programmes are supposed to provide disadvantaged students with social and cultural capital that they often lack in their family setting and peer group.

Sarah-Elisa Nees, M.A.

Biographical statement

My research interests are: migration and integration research, elite formation, social inequality, and qualitative research methods. I’ve received my B.A. from the American University of Paris in International Affairs and Business Administration and hold a M.A. from Jacobs University Bremen in Comparative Politics and Sociology. Before joining the Böckler Kolleg in September 2009, I worked as a Research Associate in a DFG-project at Jacobs University.

Dissertation project

Migrants in National Elites. A Qualitative Study of Citizens with a Migration Background in the German Political and Economic Elite (working title)

In Germany, over 18% of the population has a migration background. Studies on their integration into German society so far only focus on the lower strata of society. My research seeks to investigate how persons with a migration background become part of national elites (specifically, the political, economic and labor union sector). It combines and assesses the theories of elite and migration studies: the underlying substantive questions being (1) which individual integration strategies set the path for elites with a migration background and (2) if elite theories developed for the ‘native’ elite are applicable for the subset of elites with a migration (and working class) background. The focus is on the life-course of the individual, which is captured with problem-centered interviews with narrative components. The findings of this research provide a new basis for assessing the quality of integration at the elite level of the German society and thereby reverse the perspective of the integration debate of the over 15 million people with a migration background in Germany.

Alina Neitzert, Dipl.-Übers., M.A.

Biographical statement

Before joining the BoecklerGroup at BIGSSS, I gained experience in different fields: Following a degree in Translation Studies from the University of Mainz/Germersheim, I moved to Istanbul and obtained my M.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University.

Dissertation-project

Return Migration of Second-Generation Turks from Germany to Turkey (working title)

While living in Istanbul, I came into contact with this city’s large community of second-generation returnees from Germany. This experience gave rise to the idea for my dissertation topic. I want to study second-generation Turks who grew up in Germany but at some point in their lives decided to “return” to their parents’ country of origin. This group has up to now received very little attention in academic studies.

Elena Sommer, M.A.

Biographical statement

I have studied Geography and East European Studies at the University of Cologne and the University of Birmingham (UK). Before joining the Boeckler-Group at BIGSSS in 2010, I was working at the Geography Institute of the University of Bremen in the field of “Migration and Urban Development”. My research interests include migration studies and particularly labour integration of migrants, urban development, transformation processes in the former USSR and ageing in Western Europe.

Dissertation project

Social Capital as a Resource for Self-Employed Russian-Speaking Migrants in Germany (working title)

Since the 1990s, the self-employment rate of migrants in Germany has been increasing. The scope of possible formal economic activities of migrants and the resources at their disposal result from the interplay of different factors. Social capital is an important resource for the self-employment. Migration process leads to the restructuring of the social capital. In the destination country migrants often have a different access to diverse social networks than the host population. The access to different social networks strongly depends on the geographical location of migrants and can strongly vary for the same migrant group within the same destination country. The local structural framework, the scale of the city as well as the size of the migrant group in a given area have an impact on the incorporation pathways of migrants and can influence their self-employment strategies. The dissertation aims at analyzing the role of social capital for self-employed Russian-speaking migrants in Germany. The central questions to be answered are: 1) What kind of social capital can Russian-speaking self-employed migrants gain from their social networks and which functions does it have for their business?; 2) Which impact does the local context have on the access to social capital of self-employed migrants?; 3) To what extent do social networks, their use and their functions for self-employment change over time and which social capital promote the long-term growth of migrants' business? The main method applied is the problem centered interview.

Annabell Zentarra, M.A.

Biographical statement

Before joining the research group of the Hans-Boeckler Foundation in September 2010, I received my B.A. in Sociology from the University of Bremen and an M.A. from the University of Mannheim. My research interests include social network analysis, migration and education, as well as family dynamics and intimate relationships. My M.A. thesis dealt with the impact of parental social networks on the educational transitions of their children. I am also interested in social policy and am concerned with environmental and community issues.

Dissertation project

The impact of the ethnic composition of peer-networks on the transition from primary to secondary school. (working title)

In my dissertation project I will examine the composition of peer-networks in primary and secondary schools on the basis of longitudinal data analysis. I will explore how social networks in primary school affect school performance, school attachment, social conflicts and transition to secondary school. Furthermore, I will compare the results of my research on social networks in primary schools with the results of newly formed social networks in secondary schools.