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Doing human rights: How the categories of „Human“ and „Migrant“ are made (ir-)relevant in everyday life

Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

The project explores the advancement of human rights ("Vermenschenrechtlichung") in migration discourse. It argues that everyday interactions are characterized by various migration-related distinctions as well as by the recognition of universal equality. This ambivalent figuration makes interaction an arena in which practices of (un)doing migrant and (un)doing human can conflict in diverse ways. The project examines whether and how doing human rights while doing migrant takes place.

In the project, on the one hand, we aim to clarify which practices of categorizing individuals as 'migrants' and as 'humans' are employed in conflictual interactions in semi-public situations and what factors influence their enforcement. On the other hand, the project seeks to determine the role of referencing human rights in these categorizing practices, how such referencing is carried out, and what consequences the use of human rights practices has on everyday communication. Contrasting ethnographic fieldwork is conducted in the four domains of school, religion, sports, and youth work.

Online presences of the research group and the subproject:

Website of the subproject: "Doing Human Rights"
Twitter: @FOR_MeDiMi
Instagram: @MeDiMi_Research_Group
LinkedIn: Human Rights Discourse in Migration Societies (MeDiMi)