| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study is to investigate, how single, male Syrian and Afghan refugees and asylum seekers between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five develop social connections in their initial integration phase in Germany. To answer the primal question this study takes a qualitative case study approach, exploring the social integration processes of Syrian and Afghan men, accommodated in two socioeconomically and ethno-culturally contrasting neighbourhoods in Hamburg and Berlin.
The thesis is divided into five chapters, of which the first introduces and gives background to the German refugee situation and related challenges and developments. The second chapter addresses the theoretical debate, in which this study is embedded, providing a review of the most important literature on social integration and explaining the analytical framework guiding this research. In addition, the methodological approach is explained in the second chapter. The third chapter situates the present study in the German refugee-policy context and characterises the research settings in Berlin and Hamburg. Chapter four is dedicated to the analysis of the qualitative data obtained from document analysis, participant observation and above all interviews held with refugees, asylum seekers, social workers, directors of refugee accommodations, volunteers, as well as members and directors of local civic refugee organisations between March and July 2016. The concluding chapter summarises the empirical findings and theoretical implications, as well as discusses the inferences and recommendations that can be derived from the research findings.
On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the most important social contacts for the studied population of Syrian and Afghan refugees and asylum seekers are their families back home and their housemates, predominantly from the same national or linguistic background, as well as the social service providers operating the refugee accommodations. Social bonds between refugees and asylum seekers and people 'like them' strongly outweigh social bridges with citizens of the German host society. Moreover, the data indicated that the refugees and asylum seekers in this study sought out areas that are frequented by people with their ethnic, cultural or linguistic backgrounds, emphasizing the importance of having a sense of belonging and community in a foreign country. | |
