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Berliner Institut für empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Berliner Institut für empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung | 1. Shifting solidarities in Europe. Migrants from Poland in Germany and their attitudes towards and engagement for refugees

1. Shifting solidarities in Europe. Migrants from Poland in Germany and their attitudes towards and engagement for refugees

Solidarity, whether in its affective (empathetic) or in its practical (action-oriented) dimension, always also implies drawing a boundary. We distinguish between those whom we express solidarity with – and those whom we do not. Our project looks at processes underlying this drawing of boundaries within Europe, beginning with the so-called “summer of integration” as its starting point, and tracing these processes to the present day.

The project distinguishes between three different interpretations of solidarity. The first is a traditional understanding, which is based on the boundaries of nation states and an imaginary ethno-cultural community. This approach seems insufficient to fully grasp how solidarization currently occurs within Europe. Another understanding of solidarity defines it as the decision to include or exclude based on cultural, religious, or ethnic backgrounds. This form of solidarity can extend beyond the boundaries of nation states in the European community context. It differs from cosmopolitan solidarity, which entails caring about others’ issues – regardless of which political community they belong to.

Scope

In the present project, Migrants from Poland living in Germany serve as a case study. The project examines their attitudes towards refugees, and the extent to which they voluntarily support refugees. Migrants from Poland are an interesting case study, as they are subjected to two contrary discourses through their consumption of German and Polish media respectively. By using Migrants from Poland in Germany as an example, the project is able to discuss how solidarity in Europe shifts and changes between national and transnational levels.

Method

The study is based on an online-survey completed by 2500 participants. The participants were born in Poland and live in Germany. They were invited to take part in the survey on Polish-speaking websites that are visited by German IP addresses. An external contractor was responsible for placing the invitations on these websites.

The participants were questioned about their political views and the extent to which they volunteer to support refugees using vignettes. These vignettes had different variables; including the reason the described refugees fled; where the refugees had come from; and their religious background. The use of vignettes thus allowed the project to discern and distinguish between different conditions under which participants show (both affective and practical) solidarity.