Political Activism of Refugees in Würzburg and Irbid. Opportunities, Motivations and Challenges

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Social Work, grade: 1,3, Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: The work will focus on forms of political activism taken on by refugees to partake in social discourse with their very own means and ways. By presenting their ideas, this work aims to give these people a voice and perceive them as individuals with their own history and opinion.

The refugee political activism will be examined in the two cities Würzburg in Germany and Irbid in Jordan. The aim is not to compare but rather to find out the opportunities, challenges and motivations of refugee political activism in widely varying contexts. The analysis of those aspects is important for the role of social workers, which they can or should play in integrating refugees into society and the political system.

The political discourse surrounding the "refugee question" is dominated by the negative sentiments in Germany and in Jordan. Through media refugees are often portrayed as victims, criminals or outsiders that are incapable of expression and void of agency.

This work provides a different perspective, examining the refugee situation in Würzburg and Irbid. Based on empirical findings gained from qualitative interviews, visible and invisible forms of protest actions, employed by the refugees, are conceptualized and presented. The situation is complicated by structural challenges and the need to weigh possible gains and losses of visible opposition to the state. The work concludes with a proposition for a differentiated approach to the "refugee problem", with emphasis on creativity, discussion and potential for human interactions.