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# Margit Fauser, REMI Correspondent in Germany

Margit Fauser, correspondante de la REMI en Allemagne

Margit Fauser, corresponsal de la REMI en Alemania

Margit Fauser

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OpenEdition
Journals

**Electronic version**

URL: https://journals.openedition.org/remi/29660

DOI: 10.4000/15aqz

ISSN: 1777-5418

**Publisher**

Université de Poitiers

**Printed version**

Date of publication: November 1, 2025

Number of pages: 303-304

ISBN: 978-23-81940-30-4

ISSN: 0765-0752

**Electronic reference**

Margit Fauser, "Margit Fauser, REMI Correspondent in Germany", *Revue européenne des migrations internationales* [Online], vol. 41 - n°2 et 3 | 2025, Online since 01 November 2025, connection on 11 December 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/remi/29660 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/15aqz

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The text only may be used under licence CC BY 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) may be subject to specific use terms.
# Margit Fauser, REMI Correspondent in Germany

Margit Fauser<fnref n="1" />

## What new directions are your research taking, and in what ways do they reshape your understanding of international migration?

In recent years, I have worked on the concepts of urban border spaces and internal bordering, and have empirically examined the role of local administrations, welfare agents, NGOs, and other local stakeholders in the production of the border. I have investigated how their practices of bordering contribute to various forms of “internal exclusion” as Étienne Balibar has called the social exclusions of those who are yet territorially present. Thus, not fully excluded this concerns stratified, differentiated and fragmented forms of inclusion, that are also very often interconnected with what we usually consider the external dimension of the border, and notably to entry, return, and deportation. Thus, in contrast to the widely held view that migrants cross the border, and then are included, or may face discrimination, I consider the border as continuously re/negotiated, inside and outside of the border line. I am now using this approach to examine precarious migrant workers, that is the causes and consequences of their conditions at work and in everyday life, as well as for their social protection. This often involves migrants’ transnational living arrangements and has implications for both the countries and societies of immigration and of origin, and thus requires a transnational research perspective. I believe that the intensifying precarious employment and working conditions present important future challenges for migrants and for societies.

## How has the field of migration studies evolved within the political and disciplinary context of your country in recent years, particularly with regard to methodologies, research objects, and theoretical frameworks? What is the place of scientific knowledge in public debates on migration?

Migration studies have grown in Germany, especially in the wake of the migration and refugee movements of the past decade. The field is characterised

<footnote n="1">¹ Sociologist, Professor, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2124-4907; margit.fauser@rub.de</footnote>
by great diversity in terms of disciplines, methods, methodologies and theoret-
ical approaches. Migration studies are a vibrant field in Germany today, with new
research institutes, initiatives and sometimes new funding schemes emerging.
Great parts of the newer migration-specific funding is directed towards applied
research, assessment of specific situations, and policy recommendations. This
is, of course, a sign of interest from diverse social and political actors and of
the relevance of migration research to society, which is very welcome. However,
this sometimes occurs with an overly instrumental focus on providing simple
solutions to complex situations. Migration scholars also regularly inform public
debates through public lectures, interviews to the media, or op-eds for example.
However, in the highly controversial discussions about migration and asylum
currently taking place in Germany and other European countries, more complex
analyses and insights that call into question the proposed policy solutions
are often dismissed as normative or even ideological, and thus too migra-
tion-friendly, and therefore ignored.

How would you characterize the current publishing
landscape in your country in the field of migration
studies? What types of journals, formats, or
readerships presently structure the circulation
of knowledge in this domain?

There are several academic journals dedicated to migration, often relating to
specific disciplines such as law or social work. Since 2021 a new interdisci-
plinary journal for migration research exists, the *Journal for Migration Research
(Zeitschrift für Migrationsforschung)*, which publishes (open access) articles
in both German and English, including classical research articles and shorter
discussion contribution.

How do you engage, in your research, with emerging
modes of publishing and "journal-making" (open
access, artificial intelligence, etc.)?

Personally, I am somewhat sceptical about the promises of open-access publi-
cations. It is true that this makes our research more visible and accessible to
everyone around the globe. However, I think this is where the problem lies. This
channel is expensive and not every researcher can rely on funding for it. I fear
that it will deepen inequalities within the academic system, at different career
stages, between research institutions and national academic systems, and espe-
cially on a global scale.