Research
Migration is not only a complex and sensitive topic that affects all areas of human life and various social conflicts. It is a subject that has remained largely unrecognized in German historiography. Therefore, it is important for us to make the results accessible: for example, through (special) exhibitions, publications, or even documentary films.
In the research of the German Emigration Center, the focus is on causes of migration, flight and expulsion, as well as processes of integration. Why do people voluntarily move to a foreign country? What makes it an involuntary departure, the decision to flee? If there is an arrival, how does it shape economically, socially, linguistically, and culturally for the immigrants? What does migration mean for children and grandchildren? And what conditions does the host country need to successfully facilitate integration?
In their inquiries, the researchers of the German Emigration Center align with destinations, identities, and shared fates, such as those affected by anti-Semitic persecution in Germany or descendants of German emigrants to tsarist Russia. Germany as the starting point and destination of migration, especially by sea, is repeatedly part of the inquiry.
In doing so, the researchers of the German Emigration Center cooperate with other scientists and try, if possible, to engage in conversation with the actors and witnesses themselves: people with migration experiences and their relatives. The personal historical experience in letters, diaries, and direct testimonies plays a special role.
The aim is to treat the biographies, collection pieces, and research results with particular care. The personal achievements, experiences, and traumas of migrants should be met with recognition and respect, and their social and cultural significance in the host countries should be appreciated.
Research Projects
Selection from recent years at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus:
| 2020 | The museum supported and published a dissertation on the topic “Conditions of Passage for Sea Travelers and Their Border Experiences,” some of whose sources come from the Deutsches Auswandererhaus collection. |
| 2018 | As part of the nationwide project funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, “museum4punkt0 – Digital Strategies for the Museum of the Future”, the development of an exhibition was initiated based on the research question of whether virtual reality can help convey cultural-historical knowledge and emotions. The study, which evaluates the responses of more than 700 participants, was published in 2019. |
| 2018 | A study on the feeling of homesickness was conducted, which evaluates qualitative interviews with students as well as quantitative multiple-choice surveys. |
| 2017 | The Deutsches Auswandererhaus initiated and organized a conference on the research topic “Rituals in Immigration Society.” |
| 2016 | As part of the BKM-funded project “Forum Migration,” the migration-related knowledge of visitors was examined before and after their visit to the museum through qualitative and quantitative surveys. The results were published in 2017. |
| 2015 | The German Emigration Center conducted a comparative research project comparing the reception of South Germans who migrated to London in 1709 and demanded free land in North American colonies from the British Queen with the reception of Turkish guest workers in the Federal Republic starting in 1961. |
| 2011 | A project on refugees and asylum seekers in Germany was initiated, which has been complemented since 2015 by a project concerning Syrian and Afghan (civil war) refugees. |
| 2009 | A team of researchers from the museum studied environmental migration in New Orleans: What happened to the people who had to leave the city due to Hurricane Katrina? For this, a research trip to New Orleans took place, where interviews were conducted on-site with affected individuals, historians, and politicians. |
| 2008 | A project was carried out on Jewish refugees and undercover Nazi criminals who often lived side by side in Buenos Aires in the late 1940s. |
| 2005 | The newly opened German Emigration Center dedicated its first research project to German-speaking writers in California in exile from 1932 to 1941. |
Kalliope Award for practical migration research
Those who explore the world will quickly reach the limits of their human capabilities alone. That is why since 2015, the German Emigration Center Foundation and the German Emigration Center promote researchers and research projects every two years whose results help cultural and educational institutions communicate migration sustainably and globally. Scientific works and (university) projects related to immigration to Europe or European emigration overseas are supported.
The Kalliope Prize for practical migration researchshould promote cooperation between academic and non-academic research institutions as well as museums, allowing history to develop into a shared cultural asset and the foundation of a democratic society with an awareness of its historical and social responsibility.
The prize money, which currently amounts to 20,000 euros, was donated by Dr. Joachim Ditzen-Blanke, a long-time supporter and generous benefactor of the German Emigration Center.
Partners and Networks
The German Emigration Center also maintains an active network with other research institutions and museums on the topic of migration:
– Association of European Migration Institutions (AEMI)– International Network of Migration Institutions (INMI) of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations UNAOC- Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Nuremberg (BAMF)– The MeLa* Project “European Museums in an Age of Migrations”– University of Osnabrück, Institute for Migration and Intercultural Studies (IMIS)– International Council of Museums (ICOM)– German Museums Association (DMB)– AK Migration in the German Museums Association- Committee “Extracurricular Learning” in the Didacta Association of Educational Business– Ellis Island, National Monument USA– Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax, Canada– Jewish Museum Berlin– German Maritime MuseumBremerhaven– Working Group on Migration and Refugees, Nord-Süd-Forum Bremerhaven e.V.
The German Emigration Center has no influence on the design and content of external websites and does not adopt the content of these pages as its own.
Dialog Migration
For over 15 years, we have been conducting visitor surveys at the German Emigration Center. Until now, we have primarily used the surveys to continuously improve our exhibition. However, we are now taking a step further: as part of the nationwide joint project “museum4punkt0 – Digital Strategies for the Museum of the Future,” we have launched the new portal “Dialog Migration” and now invite our visitors, both on the website and in the museum, to share their opinions on personal and societal migration topics with us. We look forward to your participation in our surveys and supporting the research work at the German Emigration Center – as the opinion and reflection of society are relevant factors for us, especially regarding the conveyance of migration history.