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Legal integration of Syrian refugees in Berlin, Germany : a socio-legal study
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Karadag, Yasemin (2022) Legal integration of Syrian refugees in Berlin, Germany : a socio-legal study. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3909834
Abstract
This thesis aims to understand the role of the law in refugees’ integration in Germany following the large-scale refugee movements in 2015. It focuses on the application of Germany’s first integration law, the Integration Act, introduced for refugee integration in 2016, and the experiences of Syrian refugees living in Berlin. Through the exploration of how being legally integrated into the host country affects integration experiences, the thesis provides a unique study of both doctrinal law and its impact on the individual. Identifying the gap regarding the relationship between the law and refugee integration in refugee studies, this thesis develops a theoretical approach to the study of refugee integration, based on Tom Kuhlman’s model of refugee integration and Alastair Ager and Alison Strang’s refugee integration models, which suggest that in order to realise refugees’ rights and obligations, legal integration is required, utilising a legal framework – rather than merely a non-specific or nebulous process of integration. Also, it suggests that legal integration as an intermediate category is a precondition for other aspects of integration. As such, the thesis makes a significant contribution toward the theoretical understanding of refugee integration in refugee studies in particular, and migration studies in general. Following Lawrence Meir Friedman’s ‘model of the legal system’, this thesis adopts a sociolegal research methodology based on a qualitative approach, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the law – Germany’s asylum law in general, and the Integration Act in particular – by exploring the social and political forces behind the law, the law itself and its implications. Hence, this thesis utilises the doctrinal documentary analysis and fieldwork in Berlin with Syrian refugees and institutional actors working with/for refugees to understand how the legal integration of Syrian refugees affects their integration experiences in Berlin. The findings of the thesis demonstrate that Germany has instrumentalised its asylum and integration laws to manage refugees coming to Germany in accordance with the State’s own needs and interests. Although the Integration Act appeared to be promising and highly regarded, a thorough examination of the law, the law-making process and its implications demonstrate that while Germany’s legal integration system mainly aims at integrating Syrians early into Germany’s labour market, it overlooks the specific needs of particular refugee groups, which resulted in a serious impediment to many refugees’ integration process.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration K Law [Moys] > KV Europe |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Refugees -- Syria, Refugees, Arab -- Government policy -- Germany, Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc -- Germany, Asylum, Right of -- Germany, Germany -- Emigration and immigration -- Government policy | ||||
Official Date: | October 2022 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | School of Law | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Stevens, Dallal | ||||
Sponsors: | Turkey. Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | 346 pages : illustrations | ||||
Language: | eng |
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