German Immigrants Research Articles

Germany in the Melbourne Punch, 1855–1914: British Entanglement or Autonomous Developments?

This article explores the representation of Germany and the Germans in the pages of the Melbourne Punch (1855–1925). Grounding its imagery in contemporary racial stereotyping of Germans, Melbourne Punch commented in muted terms on German immigration and the events of 1870–71 but reacted with alarm at the sudden arrival of the Kaiserreich as an expanding imperial power in the Asia-Pacific in 1884–85. The consolidation of this presence in the 1890s, combined with the simultaneous threat posed to Australia’s security via Germany’s challenge to the Royal Navy, raised antagonism to extremes (more so than in comparable British publications like the London Punch). The fear of Prussian military culture threatening Australia’s liberal-British society was expressed palpably in ordinary weekly numbers, as well as in dedicated special issues of 1898 and 1909, which featured Germanophobic invasion stories, anticipating – but never approaching – the hatred towards the ‘Hun’ during the Great War.

Immigrants’ condition of expulsability: a comparative approach to the German and French legal framework

This paper examines recent amendments to French and German immigration law aimed at accelerating and enhancing the expulsion of unwanted immigrants of the territory. The main normative changes resulting from these reforms, entailing an unprecedented retraction of legal safeguards against expulsion and significantly exacerbating immigrant’s condition of expulsability, will be presented in comparative terms, without losing sight of the European dimension. Specifically, these reforms shape immigrant’s expulsable presence on the territory through three aspects: an increase on the precariousness of foreigner status, a reduction of the sphere of freedom needed to lead a dignified life and an expansion of exceptionality that obliges us to reconsider our social contract to include a human-rights based approach to immigration.

Administrative control mechanisms in the descent-based family reunification of refugees

ABSTRACT Since it establishes differentiated socio-legal eligibility categories among different migrant groups, family reunification constitutes a prime example of the internal border. In my article, I investigate how the border is produced and negotiated in the context of family reunification of refugee children and parents by focusing on discretionary practices of German immigration bureaucracy through the lens of counselling actors in the city. Taking the city of Frankfurt am Main as my research site, I identify ignorance, verification, and temporalization as three administrative control mechanisms over descent-based refugee families. I argue that family reunification constitutes a highly selective and culturalized field of border control, in which refugee families are filtered according to their conformity to a certain family norm and European bureaucratic standards. By examining how counselling actors understand administrative practice, I also discuss how they respond to it, including their own participation in de- and (re-)bordering.

Research on Intergenerational Writing in Contemporary German Immigrant Literature

Research on Intergenerational Writing in Contemporary German Immigrant Literature

Are charitable donations a luxury good of the rich? Evidence from a survey and actual behavior in a superdiverse metropolis

AbstractObjectivePrevious studies on charitable giving have emphasized the importance of socioeconomic status in explaining why individuals choose to donate or not to donate money. Other explanations, such as social capital or local contexts, have also been investigated, but these perspectives are rarely combined and tested against an actual behavioral outcome measure. We seek to compare the statistical importance of these explanations for individual‐level donation decisions.MethodsOur study investigates survey respondents’ choices to repeatedly donate their earned incentive after a completed interview in the three waves of the Immigrant German Election Study II from 2021. In each wave, respondents were offered an incentive worth 10 euros, which they could either keep as a gift card or donate to the local food bank. This decision is a measurement of real rather than self‐reported donation behavior. We combine individual‐level variables and neighborhood‐level variables that capture the heterogeneity of our sample to systematically compare explanations for this donation decision.ResultsWe find that the respondents’ self‐assessed economic situation and sociopolitical preferences in favor of more social spending by the state, rather than the respondents’ objective socioeconomic status, have strong positive effects on the total amount donated throughout the survey.ConclusionNot the rich per se, but those who think they are doing well economically, and who are on the redistributive left, give more to others. These findings remain robust after controlling for the strong heterogeneity of our sample.

Demirjian's and Cameriere's Methods for the Assessment of Dental Age Estimation in Children from a Southern Brazilian City.

The chronological age estimation of living individuals is a crucial part of forensic practice and clinical practice, such as in orthodontic treatment. It is well-known that methods for age estimation in living children should be tested on different populations. Ethnic affiliations in Brazil are divided into several major groups depending on the region, with the south of Brazil being known for its German immigration. (1) Background: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between chronological age and dental age using Demirjian's method and Cameriere's method in a group of children from Joinville, South Brazil to investigate if both methods can be used to estimate dental age in this population. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of 229 panoramic radiographs (119 were males and were 110 females) from Brazilian children (ages ranging from 6 to 12 years). The chronological age at the time of the panoramic radiographic exam was calculated for each child. The dental age was estimated according to Demirjian's method and Cameriere's method. All continuous data were tested for normality by using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The Pearson correlation coefficient test was applied. An alpha of 5% (p < 0.05) was used for all analyses. (3) Results: The mean chronological age was 8.75 years. According to Demirjian's method, the mean dental age was 9.3 years, while according to Cameriere's method, the mean dental age was 8.66 years. A strong correlation between chronological age and dental age according to Demirjian (r = 0.776 and p < 0.0001) and Cameriere (r = 0.735 and p < 0.0001) was observed for both genders. (4) Conclusions: Both methods presented a good correlation with chronological age in the studied population and could be used to assess dental age in this population.

German minority in urban space of a textile manufacturing centre: the case of 19th century city of Łódź

German settlement in Poland has been the subject of numerous studies. The causes and determinants of migratory movements have been discussed extensively, while little attention has been paid to the spatial aspects of the phenomenon. The aim of this study, which is part of geographical and historical research, is to determine the size of the influx of migrants of German nationality into the rapidly developing textile production centre of Łódź in the 19th century, as well as the geographical origins and distribution of this nationality group in the urban space. These considerations are complemented by the identification of key issues related to the social integration and assimilation processes of the German minority. In the first half of the 19th century, the influx of skilled labour, almost entirely recruited from the German population, conditioned the development of the textile industry in Łódź. It also had a key influence on the demographic development of Łódź, which soon became the largest centre of textile production in Poland. In subsequent decades, there was a tendency among German immigrants towards separation in the sphere of professional and social activities, but already by the end of the 19th century the German community settled in Łódź was diverse in terms of the sense of nationality. In addition to a certain proportion of the immigrants who were already Polonised, there were persons declaring German nationality, as well as those undecided about the issue.

Cultural Sustainability: Reflections on The Social Formation of Panambi/RS in The Light of Lutheranism

Objective: The objective of this study is to understand German colonization in Panambi, a city located in the Northwest of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, by understanding it as a complex process that involves a variety of historical, economic, social, political and cultural factors of varied dimensions that intertwine to shape the unique character of the city in the light of Lutheranism. Theoretical Framework: Protestantism played a significant role in the formation of the developmental spirit in the South of Brazil, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Colonies in the South of Brazil and Lutheranism are deeply interconnected, mainly through German immigration, given that these immigrants brought with them cultural, religious and social practices that significantly shaped the region. Method: The research follows methodological paths of an applied nature and a qualitative approach. Regarding procedures, a bibliographic review, documentary research and case study are used. Data interpretation is anchored in categorical content analysis. Results and Discussion: The research results point to local development, the emergence of companies, with community ties strengthening the tripod: religion, school and work. A process of cultural identification in the municipality had strong German influences, from the religious Lutheranism, focused on the world of work. This journey contributed to the strengthening and dissemination of a social imaginary that reinforces the relationship between colonization and the Lutheran Church, and, associated with it, the school, which sustains and preserves German culture, generating “Germanness”. Thus, this peculiarity lived and experienced by the social agents who colonized Panambi, created a social system that, although in constant adaptation, maintains the relationship between Germanness, church, entrepreneurship to boost local development. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by addressing the sociocultural formation of the city of Panambi, given that this development shapes the unique characteristics of the city, influencing its growth, urban structure, social dynamics and cultural identity.

Earnings assimilation of post‐reunification East German migrants in West Germany

AbstractWe investigate the wage assimilation of East Germans who migrated to West Germany after reunification (1990–99). We compare their wage assimilation to that of ethnic German immigrants from Eastern Bloc countries and international immigrants to West Germany who arrived at the same time. The analysis uses administrative as well as survey data. The results suggest that East Germans faced significant initial earnings disadvantages in West Germany, even conditional on age and education. However, these disadvantages were smaller than those of international immigrants, supporting the beneficial role of cultural similarity. The earnings gap relative to West German natives narrowed over time for all immigrants. These findings are robust to controlling for potentially endogenous return migration and labor force participation. Controls for fixed effects reveal that positive assimilation for East German and international immigrants was concentrated among highly educated immigrants.

Taming Muslim Masculinity: Patriarchy and Christianity in German Immigrant Integration

This article analyzes a growing sector of state-funded pedagogies designed to reform Muslim masculinity in Germany. These programs present Muslim men as suffering from a psychopathology rooted in an alleged Islamic “honor culture”. They rely on a mix of Christian and non-religious welfare providers to supply Muslim youth with alternative masculine role models. We trace three implications of this arrangement: First, these programs' culturalist approach perpetuates Orientalist hierarchizations of masculinity. Second, the de-Islamized masculinity these programs construct as normatively binding revolves around a heteronormative patriarchy imagined as benevolent, thereby reinforcing the subjection of women. Third, these educational initiatives yoke the reform of Muslim masculinity to male participants' dramatic conversion to a Christian-German culture that blurs the line between the religious and the nonreligious. We suggest that studies of (hegemonic) masculinity in Europe ought to attend to the salience of the nation-state and to the public relevance of Christianity—two dimensions given short shrift in recent theorizing.

Surveying immigrant-origin voters in a post-migrant society: The first Immigrant German Election Study, 2017

This paper introduces the Immigrant German Election Study (IMGES) as the first survey that explicitly targeted immigrant-origin voters in Germany. IMGES fills the gap of insufficient data in the field of immigrant-origin voters with a combination of proven and novel survey measures of the electoral behavior of people with a background from either Türkiye or from the former Soviet Union or its successor states. The study was carried out in a post-election, cross-sectional survey in 2017. Its compatibility with the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), the Ethnic Minority British Election Study (EMBES), and the Dutch Ethnic Minority Election Study (DEMES) allows for in-depth comparative analyses between immigrant-origin voters and natives across different countries. In addition to standard measures of electoral behavior, the data include measures of immigrant-specific factors relevant to voting behavior. Moreover, the dataset is not limited to voting behavior in Germany, it also includes transnational voting behavior in the respective countries of origin.

Luther in Early Modern English

Abstract: This article surveys and examines the translations into English of Luther's works during the early modern period. Certain themes emerge, with anti-Catholicism, devotion, and consolation particularly noted as safe and unobjectionable Lutheran topics for English audiences. English reformers chose to integrate certain divines from the European mainland at certain points, with Luther playing key roles. The reign of Elizabeth (1558–1603) was a highpoint for English translations of Luther, and these coincided with other efforts by some in England as well as Germany to emphasize unity among Protestants while downplaying divisions. A flexible and contingent deployment of Luther in English continued into the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when developments such as the Civil Wars, the Restoration, and German immigration provided moments of relevance for Luther. The article draws on and points to the considerable scholarship that has reshaped English Reformation studies over the past few decades, and it offers reflections on how the particularity of early modern England can be seen in relation to the heterogeneity of Reformation Europe.

Mapping Germanness in early 20th century USA: topic modeling and GIS within a small corpus framework

Abstract The increased emphasis on language and ethnicity among German immigrants in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century resulted from inter-ethnic competition as well as assimilation pressures on Germans as a minority in American society. Following the unification of Germany and the improvement of German international status, Germans in America claimed superiority of German culture; middle-class advocates attempted to build a more united German-American community, fighting for a stronger voice on issues such as prohibition and German language education. These processes eventually led to the establishment of the National German-American Alliance in Philadelphia in 1901. The present article employs topic modeling and GIS techniques to examine the little-known conference proceedings of the Alliance and discuss Prince Heinrich “Henry” of Prussia’s 1902 visit to the USA. On the humanities side, we foreground the dynamics of the German diaspora who sought their own ethnic uniqueness and constructed historical memory during this period. On the digital side, we discuss different statistical evaluations of topic models as well as their applicability within a small corpus research framework.

Exploring the Speech Act of Requesting by German-English Bilinguals in Workplace Scenarios

Culturally different ways of requesting can raise the possibility of misunderstanding in a 21st century workplace. Following the goal of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) to engender communicative skills that foster intercultural understanding, the present study examines how German immigrants living in the United States make requests in the workplace. This query aims to shed light on bilingual pragmatic and intercultural competence. A total of 17 participants completed oral discourse completion tasks. The results showed that the German-English bilinguals tended to blend socio-pragmatic norms of both languages into a unique bilingual pragmatic competence. Overall, they were more direct in German than in English when making requests, showing awareness of intercultural differences. In their German responses, the bilinguals appeared to be even more direct than Germans in previous studies. Furthermore, participants’ higher use of hints attests to pragmatic competence at the workplace, as hints were almost exclusively used with superiors. The findings help to better equip employees who work in global workplaces to express and understand requests. The findings also inform LSP curriculum, which is ideally situated to educate future workers in effective intercultural communication.

Benjamin Bryce, The Boundaries of Ethnicity: German Immigration and the Language of Belonging in Ontario

Benjamin Bryce, The Boundaries of Ethnicity: German Immigration and the Language of Belonging in Ontario

Broad and Detailed Agreement: Public Preferences for German Immigration Policy

Immigration policy is often considered one of the most divisive issues in Western Europe and North America. We explore whether that debate has been oversimplified. We start from the position that immigration is a complex issue comprising many specific policy choices. We then investigate whether preferences are consistently open or closed across a range of immigration policy criteria. We analyze an original survey with a nationally representative sample of Germans. Our results suggest that preferences are not consistently open or closed on immigration, integration, and naturalization regulations. Overall, the German public would prefer to be open on some aspects of immigration policy and closed on others. In addition, population subsets who are either “pro-” or “anti-” immigration in general have the same preferences for whether to be open or closed on specific immigration policies. Our findings promote a more detailed approach to studying immigration preferences, which adds nuance to the idea of immigration as a grand societal conflict. In doing so, we highlight how future studies can refine expectations about when policy preferences are more permissive or restrictive.

Sandkærgårds lade i Grønhøj fra 1791

Sandkærgård’s barn at Grønhøj from 1791The Potato Germans’ only surviving secular building&#x0D; This article explores to what degree German immigrants imported, adopted or transformed building traditions during their ‘colonisation’ of the sparsely settled heathland of Alhede to the west of Viborg in the late 18th century. The last surviving secular building of the so-called Potato Germans, the barn at the farm of Sandkærgård, is presented as a case study. Between 1760 and 1763, King Frederik V of Denmark invited German immigrants from southern Hesse and Palatinate to settle in the heathlands to the west of Viborg. He aimed to intensify the agricultural use of this sandy, barren and sparsely populated land. About 300 families answered his call and began establishing new settlements in the Alhede area. They saw no future in their homeland, which had been devasted by wars, while the Prussian Seven Year’s War and the so-called French-Indian War prevented them from emigrating to America or Russia. But the new settlers quickly discovered that the heathland was not as fertile as advertised, and neither did the Danish government keep its promises of support. While most immigrants left Denmark again, about 60 families remained in the Alhede.The barn at Sandkærgård is – apart from the parish church in Frederiks – the last preserved building from the immigration period. It has been dendrochronologically dated to 1791. Its half-timbered, single-storey construction without aisles matches fine contemporary Danish buildings. Its sparse use of braces, its single chain of rails on all sides and its roof construction all correspond to common developments in barns in the late 18th century, when the older reversed assembly roof went out of use. One feature, the elevated central part of the eave, has been perceived as a foreign trait rooted in the Hessian or Palatinate building tradition. But there are no evident parallels to this building in the immigrants’ homeland, while the elevated part is documented on the island of Als in northern Schleswig. Perhaps (German-speaking?) craftsmen from Als were engaged in building the new settlements. The barn at the farm of Sandkærgård therefore documents a process of integration and assimilation, where immigrants adopted the cultural traditions and workmanship of their new home.

Outgroup mobility threat – how much intergenerational integration is wanted?

ABSTRACT The descendants of immigrants have become increasingly successful in Western European education systems and labor markets, which in principle supports Richard Alba’s new assimilation theory (NAT). Still, acceptance and recognition on the part of the mainstream has not kept pace. We have suggested outgroup mobility threat (OMT), the fear of being overtaken by intergenerational mobility, as one possible explanation. However, Richard Alba has argued that demographic changes widely lead to a non-zero-sum mobility and do not necessarily cause competition threat. In this paper, we relate Richard Alba's reasoning to the concept of OMT, focusing on the German immigration context. We bring together the arguments by distinguishing between realistic and symbolic threat and by differentiating between occupations and groups. We measure OMT and test our hypotheses using a vignette study that we recently conducted as part of the kick-off survey of the new National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa) in Germany. Our results confirm that Richard Alba's argument is superior to the simple competitive threat perspective. However, we also show that it is still insufficient, and OMT comes into play when immigrant groups move up into value-based occupations that are assumed to normatively shape society. Moreover, we demonstrate that this threat is felt particularly when Muslims ascend to these types of occupations.

Informal care and mental health in Germany: What are the differences between non-migrants and ethnic German immigrants? A longitudinal comparative analysis

Objective In aging Germany, a large part of care is provided by informal caregivers. We aimed to analyze the main drivers of the mental health of caregivers and their intersection with migration status. Methods Using panel data covering 18 years (n = 25,659 individuals, aged 16 to 103 years; mean age of 49.5 years) and applying linear regression models we investigated the association between informal caregiving and mental health. We compared non-migrant Germans (NMG) and ethnic German immigrants (EGI), who are the oldest immigrant group in Germany. Informal caregiving was defined as living with a person in need of care or by providing care for ≥2 h per day; the main health outcomes were mental health and mental health changes, measured by a metric scale of six items. Results Even accounting for selection into caregiving, short-term care seemed to be disadvantageous only for NMG, while long-term care was generally associated with poorer mental health, with a particular disadvantage for EGI. Socio-economic characteristics and personality traits affected mental health changes, but only weakly the caregiving-health association. Conclusion Informal caregiving presents a health burden which is not explained by socio-economic characteristics and personality, but by migration status. Policies to promote health in an aging society need to consider differences in short- and long-term care provision and between migrants and the non-migrants.

Comparing the mobilising effects of in-person canvassing to postal reminders – experimental evidence from a longitudinal election study

ABSTRACT For hard-to-survey populations such as ethnic minorities and immigrants, increasing survey response rates is a crucial element of the fieldwork as these populations often show a higher likelihood of not participating compared with the native population. However, no study has so far compared different strategies for mobilisation within this group. Using data from the Immigrant German Election Study II, this experiment systematically compares the effects of home visits and postal reminders for the mobilisation of immigrant-origin non-respondents (i.e. persons classified as being from Turkey or from the former Soviet Union and its successor states) from a randomly drawn sample regarding the likelihood of participation in the first wave, signing up for a multi-wave panel, and taking part in all three panel waves. Multivariate analyses show that those in the treated home-visit group were more likely to take part in all stages of the survey design. Even though costs are higher than conventional postal reminders, home visits might be a useful strategy for cases in which increasing the response rate is an important goal, given a fixed, small number of potential respondents.