Reunification Policies Research Articles

The Division Wall in Mind: An Analysis of the Continuous East-West Divide in Germany after Reunification

Abstract: German elections have attracted the attention of stakeholders from all over the world over the past few decades. This article will focus on the important role played by the Alternative fr Deutschland (AfD) party in the German election process. German Alternative fr Deutschlands support in national polls, as well as its success in regional elections, has posed an alarming threat for many Germans. Ruling parties and foreign countries have unanimously expressed their concern over this mass-based success, labeling it as the turning point of German politics. The paper will attribute the contrasting support rates in the East and West Germany to the lasting regional divide in economy, society and culture, and reveal the historical reasons behind respectively. There is no coincidence that the Right ideology is again gaining grounds in German politics, since the division period and reunification policies have both left irreversible impacts on the unified country, making voters vulnerable to AfD promises.

Opportunities for the integration of muslim immigrants in European Union countries

The presence of Muslim immigrants in European Union countries has become an undeniable reality, as these immigrants have become an integral part of the demographic composition of EU societies. The strength of these immigrant communities has increased as a result of the intensification of family reunification policies, which have contributed to reshaping and expanding minorities within the European space. Consequently, questions, concerns, and doubts have arisen about the integration of these immigrants into most national communities. These apprehensions are primarily based on the legal mechanisms required to integrate these minorities into the nation-state, which is founded on citizenship rights in Europe, and on the practical measures that guarantee their integration in an appropriate form and content. On this basis, the adopted integration policies that attempt to reposition Muslims in Europe at the economic, social, and, to some extent, cultural levels raise many concerns about their ability to integrate these Muslim immigrants and about the possible opportunities for their proper integration in light of their cultural, religious, and social specificities. Through this paper, researchers attempt to examine the opportunities for these Muslim immigrants to integrate, considering the legal complexities and social problems they face, which hinder their complete integration into these societies.

Politics for Exclusion and Strategies for Inclusion: A Scoping Review of Nordic Family Reunification Policies, Practices, and Impact on Refugees

Politics for Exclusion and Strategies for Inclusion: A Scoping Review of Nordic Family Reunification Policies, Practices, and Impact on Refugees

‘When Mom left for Mars’: Life narratives of first-generation Moroccan migrant mothers in Flanders

Current discourses in Belgian politics about Moroccan Muslim women are deeply rooted in the first-generation family reunification policies of the 1960s. Today, (marriage) migrant women are still commonly described as victims of their ‘backward’ religious traditions and in need of protection for the sake of themselves, their children and society. Looking at the implications of these views for the women concerned, this article discusses the unique docufilm ‘When Mom Left for Mars’, which documents the life narrative of a first-generation Moroccan woman in The Netherlands. Based on this docufilm, we aim to (1) document how Belgian and Dutch first-generation migrant women can be compared with each other using Karl Mannheim’s ‘theory of generations’ and (2) engage in an intergenerational conversation with first-generation mothers and their daughters, as well as with mid-generation mothers, to gain more insight into their similarities, heritage and differences. More specifically, we explore the agency of these mothers using the analytical lens of ‘affective citizenship’, particularly attending to how they centralise mothering and care work to negotiate gender and belonging, and counter the challenges of marriage migration, motherhood and integration. The docufilm is, thus, used as a case study from which we consider the first-generation women as ‘cultural archives’, and as a methodological tool in facilitating in-depth interviews and group discussions.

Coordinating settlement (im)mobilities: exploring secondary migration patterns and settlement geographies among refugee-humanitarian migrants in regional Australia

ABSTRACT International migrants play an important role in addressing the social and economic challenges associated with population ageing and fertility decline that are keenly felt in regional Australia. In a policy arena where the attraction and retention of migrants remains a challenge, large numbers of refugee-humanitarian migrants have, without any direct government policy intervention, independently gravitated towards unplanned regional settlement locations. However, these secondary migration patterns, often regarded as ‘organic’ or informal, are not well understood. We present new insights into their mobility in regional Australia using secondary datasets and primary research. Using Institutional Ethnographic methods, we highlight how their movements are not as ‘organic’ as imagined. Simultaneously, through the 'new mobilities' paradigm, we highlight the link between international and internal migration of refugee-humanitarian migrants. We tease out the relational element by drawing attention to how immobility of family members, structured by immigration policies that delay and deny family reunification, is intertwined with secondary migration patterns in Australia. As regional communities embrace the benefits of the secondary migration of refugee-humanitarian migrants, we show that these benefits are perversely supported by punitive family reunification policies that can have implications for the successful integration of refugee-humanitarian migrants.

Impact of changes to the New Zealand family category policy on immigrants

Immigration New Zealand’s policy on family reunification has impacted new arrivals coming into Aotearoa New Zealand from different countries. Close family members of migrants have now been forced to leave their family members behind and live in different countries. This also shows that Immigration New Zealand’s family reunification policy is not in line with the international guidelines and laws of family reunification practices. This paper examines new empirical evidence for the impact of family reunification and integration on migrant health and wellbeing, and discusses potential harm that can be caused to migrants living in Aotearoa New Zealand. It also provides the groundwork for a future study. Reunification outcomes are considered for both partners and children of new migrants. The paper concludes by addressing the implications for migrants as a result of the current Immigration New Zealand policies regulating family reunification.

Straightforward? Family Reunification for Refugees in France: Aligning Legal Standards, Institutional Practices and Procedural Guarantees

Abstract This article addresses family reunification in France (réunification familiale) as an essential right of refugees and a clear legal entitlement under domestic law. It proceeds with a reality-check on access to the designated visa for families and support professionals and discusses potential grounds for future advocacy on the matter. Available data, reports and complementary feedback gained from several practitioners in the field suggest hurdles stand in both law and practice, at odds with international standards and guidance. Strengthening information, physical and financial access to the procedure and ensuring due diligence, flexibility and transparency when examining applications arguably remain on the agenda for reform. Further adjustments to both administrative and judicial options for appeal and legal aid rules could also upgrade guarantees for families, with greater chances for an effective remedy in a timeframe compatible with the stakes. Filling standing gaps in data, research and evaluation would seem equally essential for an evidence-based debate, and in calling for a proactive reunification policy that acts on its potential as a pathway towards international protection. Ultimately, while a reminder of the multiple dimensions to investigate if one is concerned with effective access to reunification beyond its legal consecration as a right, the ‘French case’ certainly illustrates the need for advocates in this field to keep widening strategies and tools, besides litigation.

An exploration of the unification policy in West Germany during the Brandt period

After the Haldensianism of Adenauer, Brandt decided to change his usual aggressive Eastern diplomacy and made diplomatic attempts with East Germany, Eastern Europe, and even the Soviet Union and put forward the New Eastern Policy as his fundamental policy of reunification. From the 1960s to the 1970s, West Germany marked a turning point in the resolution of the German question.

Mothers Inside and Out? Pseudo-Families and Motherhood in a Women’s Prison

The pseudo-family is a longstanding carceral concept, but its existence and characteristics are uncertain in contemporary women’s prisons. This study explores pseudo-family membership and pseudo-motherhood among 132 women incarcerated in a maximum-security prison. Self-reported data reveal that the pseudo-family remains an active concept in the sampled prison, with over half of the surveyed women reporting prison family membership. Pseudo-mothers are perceived as maternal, supportive, and wise by their pseudo-children. Multivariate OLS and logistic regressions suggest that pseudo-mothers had similar relationship quality with, and visitation from, their biological children, compared to other imprisoned mothers. These findings contribute to our understanding of women’s adaptations to incarceration and have implications for family reunification policies.

Exploring the Realization Direction of Korean Reunification Policy based on the Modern Application of Hongik-Ingan Ideas

Exploring the Realization Direction of Korean Reunification Policy based on the Modern Application of Hongik-Ingan Ideas

Minimum standards and essential needs in the protection of Syrian refugees in Turkey

UNHCR Executive Committee resolutions had recognized the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in mass influx and many bilateral international conventions, treaties, and agreements. The following rights have also emerged within UNHCR Executive Committee decisions, international human rights law, and international law. The significant central rights and the principle of law towards refugee and asylum seekers which are considered as the minimum standards are: 1) non-refoulement principles, 2) right to life, 3) right to protection from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, 4) provision of an individual legal status, 5) right to asylum, 6) prohibition of discrimination, 7) right to liberty and security of person, 8) freedom of residence and movement, 9) family reunification, 10) right to an adequate standard of living, and 11) right to adequate housing. Until September 2020, Turkey had been a host country for 3,621,968 Syrian refugees1 who are located in eighty-one cities. Turkey applies the family reunification policy towards the refugees. However, because of the large number of Syrians, Turkish authorities struggle with providing adequate living and housing standards. Thus, the article will elaborate on the most crucial elements from the humanitarian point of view, that is family reunification, right to an adequate standard of living, and right to acceptable housing standards applied towards the Syrian refugees in Turkey in virtue of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (1982), Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458 of 2013, and Temporary Protection Regulation (2014).

THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AS A STRATEGIC FACTOR OF INTELLECTUAL SECURITY OF MODERN SOCIETY

A systematic analysis of the causes that gave rise to the modern crisis of civilization shows that one of them is a decrease in the intellectual potential of society, i.e. the ability of people, including the intellectual elite, to adequately understand, analyze and predict the possible consequences of their further development. The causes of this phenomenon have not been definitively established, although its existence and the relevance of the study do not cause doubts. It is obvious that we are talking about a humanitarian problem related to national and global security. The purpose of this work is to analyze the role of the Russian language in solving the problems of ensuring intellectual security in Russia and other countries. The main research methods used are the method of system analysis and an information approach that allows to reveal more deeply the essence of the cognitive potential of the Russian language and its significance for the development of the intellectual potential of the individual. It is shown that the Russian language has great cognitive potential, which can be effectively used in the conditions of a new global scientific and technological revolution and the formation of a knowledge society. Russian is considered to be a modern threat to the Russian language in Russia and in the world, in the post-Soviet space and abroad, including: the dominance of Anglicisms, criminalization of Russian speech, a decrease in the quality of teaching Russian language and literature, which does not contribute to the development of abstract and creative thinking abilities, weakening the position of philological education, which provides high quality education in general, as well as the connection of generations. Russian is a list of priority tasks that must be solved in order to preserve the Russian language as the most important factor of Russian culture and the intellectual potential of the individual in modern society. These include the improvement of the philological culture of modern Russian society. It is also concluded that Russia needs a new state policy of reunification of a divided nation, designed for the long term. And one of the tasks here should be the return of our former compatriots to their historical homeland. Russian language, Russian culture, and Russian language education preservation in the post-Soviet space is a necessary condition for the preservation of the national security of modern Russia in the future.

EU or UK Child-Sponsored Family Reunification Policy: Who’s Right? Whose Rights?

Abstract The increase in numbers of children travelling unaccompanied to Europe has provoked a sensitive debate as to how to treat their family members. While EU Member States generally grant family reunification for unaccompanied minors, the UK has opted to permit reunion in only ‘exceptional circumstances’. Widely criticised, the UK government counters that child-sponsored family reunification creates incentives for unaccompanied migration that place children at risk. This article explores both policies from a human rights perspective. It suggests that, as regards children reaching Europe, EU policy is more consistent with human rights norms. However, UK policy raises legitimate questions about obligations towards children beyond Europe’s borders. A rights-based justification for either EU or UK policy can be constructed, but requires recourse to additional principles on the balancing of rights among different groups of children. Clearer articulation and scrutiny of these principles could strengthen the rights rationale for child-sponsored family reunification.

What Do Asylum Seekers Prioritise—Safety or Welfare Benefits? The Influence of Policies on Asylum Flows to the EU15 Countries

Abstract From the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2010, Europe has experienced an increasing inflow of asylum seekers, which later peaked in 2015. While some governments sought national solutions and responded by tightening controls and rights for asylum seekers and refugees, others advocated for European burden sharing and a more humanistic response. This study investigates the extent to which asylum seekers respond to policy changes and prioritise between different policies. Further, than existing studies, we develop a theoretical framework for improving the understanding of what asylum seekers prioritise. Additionally, we also contribute empirically by using recent asylum application data for the EU15 countries (UNHCR data from 2008 to 2015) to disentangle the influence of single policy elements rather than focussing on asylum regimes or composite indexes as has been the case in previous research. Our results indicate that asylum seekers prioritise their short- to medium-term security by choosing destination countries with the most liberal refugee recognition and family reunification policies. In contrast, the level of social assistance accessible to refugees and the easiness of obtaining permanent resident status are unimportant.

ВПЛИВ ЛІВОНСЬКОЇ ВІЙНИ НА ВСТАНОВЛЕННЯ САМОДЕРЖАВНОЇ МОНАРХІЇ В МОСКОВСЬКІЙ ДЕРЖАВІ В ДРУГІЙ ПОЛОВИНІ XVI СТОЛІТТЯ

Мета статті полягає в розкритті деяких аспектів, пов’язаних із проведенням російською владою політики возз’єднання західноросійських (білоруських) і південноросійських (українських) земель у складі Московської дер- жави. Автор вважає, що після розпаду Золотої Орди Московська держава прагнула зайняти місце, що звільнило полюса геополітичної сили в прикордонні Східної Європи та Північно-Західної Азії. Однак на роль гегемона східноєвропейського простору також претендувала польсько-литовська унія. У дослідженні автором розглядаються основні передумови встановлення самодержавного ладу в Московській державі та спроби з боку царської влади проводити політику об’єднання східнослов’янських земель. Акцентується увага на тому, що основні причини, які призвели до Лівонської війни, були зумовлені конфліктом між Московсь- кою державою та Великим князівством Литовським через західноросійські й південноросійські території. Уряд Великого князівства Литовського прагнув не допустити посилення Московської держави з її виходом до Балтійського моря. Автор вважає, що утвердження опричнини було пов’язане з потрясіннями Російсько-Литовської війни та пер- шими важкими ураженнями царських військ. Це був репресивний захід, спрямований проти служивих людей, які становили основну масу емігрантів, що прямувала до Великого князівства Литовського. З XV століття й аж до кінця XVII століття відбувалася досить напружена боротьба за представників стану військовиків між польсь- ко-литовською унією та Московською державою. Оцінка подій XVI століття дає автору змогу зазначити, що основним напрямом зовнішньої політики Московської держави був західний, за якого російський уряд прагнув возз’єднати західноросійські землі та про- водив експансію в Прибалтиці. Натомість на півдні та сході Москва вела оборонні війни.

Family Strategies in Refugee Journeys to Europe

Abstract This article contributes to the literature on refugee journeys and decision-making by providing an exploratory study of the strategies adopted by refugee families in order to overcome controls on their movement and access to asylum. Refugee family strategies are analysed in the context of dynamic policy changes along the Eastern Mediterranean route, drawing on semi-structured interviews with Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian family members who were on this route between 2015 and 2018. The results demonstrate, first, how refugee families negotiate the physical and financial barriers to their movement—often by separating, which emerges as a key adaptive strategy. Second, concomitant with the decision to separate, family reunification policies become important in shaping—and determining the outcomes—of these asylum-seeking trajectories. Third, the article reflects on the consequences of family separation on the families themselves, particularly in an environment of limited family reunification possibilities.

Darma-Bala — a supporter of the reunification of Kalmyks with Dzungaria

The article focuses on political events in the history of Kalmyk khanate in the first half of the XVIII century and the role of the khan’s wife Darma-Bala. Coming from the ruling family of Jungaria and becoming the wife of Auka khan, Darma-Bala didn’t forget about her motherland and played a significant role in the life of Kalmyk khanate. The article looks into the political views of Darma-Bala on the development of the Kalmyk society. It analyses various steps she took after the death of her husband Auka khan in order to tighten the bonds of Kalmyks with Jungaria. In particular, the article keeps track of Darma-Bala’s different contacts with the representatives of Jungaria khanate, it gives the evidence and opinions verifying her intention to move back to Jungaria with some of the uluses. It gives the ground for assumption that through all her life in the Kalmyk khanate DarmaBala was the fervent advocate of the idea of unification of Mongolian tribes and maintained the policy of reunification of Kalmyks with Jungars that she couldn’t implement due to various internal and external reasons.

‘Everything went according to the rules’. Female citizen sponsors’ legal consciousness, intimate citizenship and family migration law

ABSTRACT Academic literature has studied the legal consciousness of common citizens: the way ordinary people think and talk about law in their everyday lives. Building on this literature, we explore how Dutch female citizens with a migrant partner experience the impact of migration law on their everyday lives. We questioned how legal consciousness is linked to intimate citizenship, thus demonstrating how ‘private’ matters such as intimate relationships, marriage, and family have a profound impact on citizenship. Based on two sets of interviews, conducted in 2000 and 2016, we were able to determine how these women, despite being citizens formally, experienced the profound impact of increasingly restrictive family reunification policies. Contrary to our expectations, female sponsors continued to express considerable support for restrictive migration law. In performing intimate citizenship, they claimed an exception from the strict application of the rules for their particular family situation, rather than radical change.

Family separation and refugee mental health–A network perspective

How do the structure and relational features of family networks affect refugees’ mental health after migration, particularly when refugees are geographically separated from their family? Using the first wave of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, which is representative of the population of refugees who arrived in Germany between 2013 and 2016, this study finds that the size of the nuclear family has a significant positive relationship with refugees’ mental health, whereas family separation has a significant negative relationship. In addition to members of the nuclear family, only fathers show a significant positive correlation with refugees’ mental health. The structural and relational aspects are discussed in light of health literature focusing on migration stressors and their relationship with mental health as well as in the context of changing family reunification policies in Germany amid the increase in immigration of refugees since 2015.

The politics of ‘waiting’ for care: immigration policy and family reunification in Canada

ABSTRACT This paper analyses two dimensions of ‘waiting’ in the realm of family reunification: the policy perspective and the immigrants’ experience. First, in line with the migration management paradigm, the Canadian government has introduced various measures to reduce ‘waiting times’. We discuss changes in the family reunification programme of parents and grandparents implemented since 2011 as emblematic of these measures. Such changes are also situated within global trends that make family reunification policies more restrictive. Second, based on 19 interviews with already established immigrants who are sponsors of a parent, we analyse the experience of ‘waiting for care’. For families attempting to reunite to fill care needs, new measures may speed up reunification, but they may also mean that being together is, for many, more difficult to achieve, temporary, and precarious. We argue that the politics of ‘waiting times’ management has depoliticised the right to family reunification and institutionalised temporariness in this component of immigration policy. These repercussions of state policies significantly alter how immigrant families can provide care to their members and sustain social reproduction.