The project DeZiS researches interdisciplinarily the democratic quality of the political culture as well as the social cohesion in Saxony.
DeZiS contributes to better understand the profound and lasting challenges on the field of social integration of refugees and other migrant groups, to oppose disintegrative developments such as xenophobia and right-wing extremism, and to develop innovative strategies to foster the democratic cohesion and social integration. DeZiS includes the following partial projects:
Group discussions with Syrian refugees
Based on the first IFRiS project “Flight and Integration (FLIN)” with 61 refugees interviewed in a pre-test survey in Chemnitz, Leipzig and Dresden in 2016/17, two group discussions of 120 minutes each are led with Syrian refugees. The goal of the partial project is to enlarge the knowledge about refugees. Processes of identification and dissociation in the country of origin as well as in the refuge society, democratic structures and individual liberties in private or societal areas as well experiences of discrimination are the group discussions’ core subjects. The partial project is directed by Frank Asbrock (TU Chemnitz) and Julia Schulze Wessel (Leipzig University).
Labour market integration and social cohesion
In collaboration with the “Zentrum für Integrationsstudien (ZfI)” at TU Dresden will be researched how far structures and processes of decision making, participation and cooperation in Saxonian companies change in existing teams when refugees are employed. The explorative study emphasizes companies that employ interns, trainees and employees with refugee or unsolved status. Using interviews with focus on the vocational biography and ethnographic methods of everyday observation, a first analysis of collaboration and participation processes will be implemented. The partial project is directed by Heike Greschke (ZfI).
Editing “Handbuch Integration”
the manual “Handbuch Integration” presents about 60 contributions to the subject of political and social integration and will be published by Springer VS in 2019 (online first). The handbook is conceived and edited by the members of IFRiS Gert Pickel, Oliver Decker, Steffen Kailitz, Antje Röder and Julia Schulze Wessel.
“Rechtsextremismus und Rechtspopulismus in Sachsen” [Right-wing extremism and right-wing populism in Saxony]
The brochure (60 pages) analyses political attitudes (Sachsen-Monitor, “Mitte-Studien”), right-wing extremist and right-wing populist parties, right-wing extremist and xenophobic violence as well as the role of the Pegida movement. The brochure is published by Sächsische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (SLpB) [Saxonian State Agency for Civic Education] in early 2019. It is written by Uwe Backes, Steffen Kailitz (HAIT), Gert Pickel (Leipzig university) and Piotr Kocyba (TU Chemnitz).
Editing anthology “Sachsen zwischen Integration und Desintegration” [Saxony between integration and disintegration]
The results of DeZiS lead into the common, final publication of the book “Politisch-kulturelle Heimaten. Demokratischer Zusammenhalt in Sachsen und Deutschland” (about 200 pages). It contains about 12 articles to subjects of migration and integration, political culture and social cohesion. Mainly members of the IFRiS network, but also other authors contribute to this book. Editors: Steffen Kailitz (HAIT), Frank Asbrock (TU Chemnitz), Oliver Decker, Gert Pickel, Julia Schulze Wessel (Leipzig University) and Antje Röder (Marburg University).
Person responsible: PD Dr. Steffen Kailitz, HAIT, Dresden.
Period of support: September 2017 to August 2018.