Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Germany, and France. A comparative and interdisciplinary seminar

Dr Yasemin Karadag Avcı, lecturer, Hitit University, Türkiye

This presentation examines the legal integration of Syrian refugees in Germany and Turkey, the two countries hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees. It explores legal and policy approaches to refugee protection and integration, offering a comparative analysis of how each country addresses large-scale refugee movements. Employing Lawrence Meir Friedman’s ‘model of the legal system’ and a socio-legal research methodology, the study investigates the impact of different legal constructs on refugee integration. Fieldwork conducted in Berlin and in Gaziantep with Syrian refugees and institutional actors working with refugees provides empirical insights into how legal integration influences refugees' integration experiences, aiming to offer practical recommendations for policymakers and enrich the academic discourse on refugee integration.

 

Liyun Wan, PhD student, Strasbourg University, Goethe University Frankfurt and Institute Convergences Migrations

The comparative analysis of Syrian refugee family integration in France and Germany focuses on challenges related to housing, language acquisition, and employment. Through a comparative ethnography involving 20 Syrian families, this study sheds light on the differences and similarities between the two systems. Germany employs a centralised approach, marked by proactive measures implemented after 2015, offering a comprehensive range of services from reception to employment through the Job centre. In contrast, France adopts a more decentralised model, requiring refugees to navigate through multiple structures. Despite these differing systems, both countries exhibit structural barriers that impact refugees, resulting in social downgrading and pronounced marginalization, particularly among the elderly and women. The study shows how the state shapes “human capital” and underscores the need for a more “human-centric” integration approach, emphasising the genuine understanding and well-being of refugees.

 

Eleftheria Koutsioumpa, PhD student, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Institut

Convergences Migrations

What does living in border asylum camps, such as the Greek hotspots, as opposed to a central EU country’s capital, such as Berlin, or even smaller German cities, mean in terms of contact with the local community and the civil society? Following the lives of 6 Syrian refugees that have entered the EU in Greece and have arrived in Germany, and through a socialization theory approach to the integration process, we shall explore the dynamics at the borders and at the center of the EU since 2016, that allow for or hinder interactions with different social groups, and thus for different types of socialization and integration.

 

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The event is also available online via the zoom platform.
You will receive the connection link once you have registered.

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Scientific coordinator : Hélène Le Bail, CNRS, CERI Sciences Po Paris