Visions of integration. How immigrants make sense of a new landscape

Abstract

People from all over the world and manifold backgrounds come to Germany to live there. When they come they need to make sense of what they are experiencing in that new landscape in order to become part of society with ideally equal rights and opportunities. Integration is one way to frame the arrival and settling of immigrants in a new society. This is in particular the case when moving across borders into a new country. In German public discourse, it is often implied that integration is mostly about language and employment. It is shown that this is indeed the case. However, it is also shown that integration goes beyond this understanding. In politics and policy-making in Germany, the notion of integration seems to be often depicted as an aim with immigrants integrating into German society and adopting German culture. Drawing from personal accounts and visions of six immigrants in Regensburg, Germany, this thesis aims at providing a deeper understanding of the processes involved from an immigrant perspective and a more differentiated approach to the notion of integration in a place where diversity is likely to be increasing in future.