Abstract
The Christian Caritas and Diakonie are Germany’s largest welfare providers. They currently recruit abroad and in refugee shelters to fill staffing shortages in care. Yet, they also seek to preserve their organisations’ Christian identity. Drawing on interviews with facility managers, my research explores how these initiatives shape institutional life in care homes. Specifically, I examine meanings attributed to conversion, notably in relation to Muslim staff. My analysis shows that Christians, nominal (‘by heritage’) or observant, are seen to ‘naturally embody’ care ethics and have privileged access to permanent contracts and leadership positions. The churches’ politics of identity, I argue, racialises affiliation with Christianity into a category of belonging naturally inhabited by some, and only potentially – and always debatably – attainable for others. The analysis feeds into controversies about conversion in the sociology of race and extends scholarship on identity politics beyond its usual focus on minority or far-right activism.
Highlights
Several crisis narratives have dominated public debates in Germany in recent years: demographic ageing has intensified staffing shortages in care, which has become notable during the COVID-19 crisis
It involves the preparedness to hire non-Christians who are to be subjected to what this respondent describes as ‘morality training’: Facilities Manager, small town, South of Germany (Diakonie): we have had some baptisms here in our institution, but there is another strategy too . . . so this an act of necessity really . . . because we have less and less staff, but are reliant on recruiting skilled employees, and we do not want to cut ourselves off from the labour market, we say ok, one has to try to convey the values, which people used to bring to their roles through their faith, we develop these values in morality workshops, and see whether that can work
I undertook an examination of the Christian politics of identity – including its histories, social conditions, and effects on institutional life in the German welfare state
Summary
Several crisis narratives have dominated public debates in Germany in recent years: demographic ageing has intensified staffing shortages in care, which has become notable during the COVID-19 crisis. Christianity, Germany, identity politics, institutional racism, Islamophobia, race, welfare state This understanding frames categories of belonging, such as Christian identity, as given and stable – regardless of, for instance, their evolving social meaning in German society, and the churches’ active role in their making.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
