Cologne Summer Research Academy 2025
The Research Academy of DiaMiGo II aimed to examine migration, migration governance and migration discourses between Europe and the North African Mediterranean region, with a focus on critically engaging with the concept of “integration” as well as migrants’ agency and resistance. The Summer School at the a.r.t.e.s. graduate school in Cologne compared different understandings of integration, inclusion, and exclusion in the Global North and the Global South through a decolonizing lens. While integration policies are widely debated in Germany, refugees in Egypt rather develop informal, self-directed strategies of integration. By analysing these divergent models, DiaMiGo II seeks to contribute to both migration studies and policy debates.
The Research Academy of DiaMiGo II aimed to examine migration, migration governance and migration discourses between Europe and the North African Mediterranean region, with a focus on critically engaging with the concept of “integration” as well as migrants’ agency and resistance. The Summer School at the a.r.t.e.s. graduate school in Cologne compared different understandings of integration, inclusion, and exclusion in the Global North and the Global South through a decolonizing lens. While integration policies are widely debated in Germany, refugees in Egypt rather develop informal, self-directed strategies of integration. By analysing these divergent models, DiaMiGo II seeks to contribute to both migration studies and policy debates.
At the beginning of the five-day Summer School, Sabine Damir-Geilsdorf and Amira Ahmed opened the discussion. In his lecture, Karim Zafer placed citizenship at the centre. Although citizenship remains crucial for defining national membership and access to rights, it also reinforces hierarchies between citizens and non-citizens, as well as among citizens themselves. The focus was on examining how states construct belonging and exclusion while centring the lived experiences of those most affected by migration policies. Jonathan Ngeh, Maysa Ayoub, and Saleh Adem continued the discussion on the second day with a focus on international migration policies. The event was hosted by Michaela Pelican. Ngeh explored how migrants navigate legal restrictions and negotiate belonging in the United Arab Emirates. Ayoub focused on lived experiences of migration and displacement, illustrating how different groups of refugees in Egypt navigate legal precarity. Adem introduced a structural perspective, examining the intersection of the kafala (sponsorship) system in GCC countries and the EU’s migration control externalisation regime in Ethiopia.
Another key focus of the Summer School was environmental injustice from the perspective of inclusion and exclusion, using the approach of More-Than-Human (MTH) migration. The discussion was led by Christoph Lange. Mario Krämer discussed discourses around “invasive species” and their partial and inconsistent symbolic equation with human mobility, as well as the conflicts associated with these narratives. Carrie B. Dohe demonstrated how religious dialogue and interfaith initiatives use environmental activism in community work. Finally, Moschda Ebrahimi added a practical perspective on environmental practices,by sharing insights from her experience as a social worker, combined with her expertise as a migrant expert and anthropologist.
In addition to panel discussions and presentations, the Summer School included interactive workshops. Students engaged with prose texts and poetry with Stefan Millich on exile; and participated in creative writing sessions led by the artist, scholar and activist Nine Fumiko Yamamoto-Masson. Nsah Mala facilitated a practical exercise in the form of a foresight workshop on futures of mobility and migration. As an excursion, the group visited the Theodor Wonja Michael Library, the first Black library in North Rhine Westphalia. Glena Obermuller narrated the founding story of this community space as a story of resistance and discussed the aim to provide a safer space for Black Germans and people with migration histories. Finally, the musical contribution of the Göksel Yilmaz Ensemble in the facilities of the NGO “InHaus” provided to an insightful and emotional artistic journey for everyone.
The Research Academy also provided space for exchange between students from the University of Cologne and the American University in Cairo. Through reflection rounds and informal gatherings, students exchanged ideas, built connections, and shared personal experiences. The Summer School concluded with great anticipation of meeting again at the Winter School in Cairo in January 2026 to continue the exchange.
