Katrin Sontag | Hochschule Furtwangen (original) (raw)

Books by Katrin Sontag

Research paper thumbnail of Mobile Entrepreneurs: An Ethnographic Study of the Migration of the Highly Skilled

Migration, mobility, and globalization are transforming ways of working and living. Business acti... more Migration, mobility, and globalization are transforming ways of working and living. Business activities, relationships and a sense of belonging are often not tied to any one place. This book explores biographies of highly mobile startup founders who often run startups that have been called „born global“. It describes how they move, how they orientate and perceive themselves, and how migration and mobility play a role beyond the physical act of ‘moving’. Presenting current ethnographic research, the book critically discusses approaches in migration and mobility studies and the research field of the „migration of the highly skilled“.

Research paper thumbnail of Lebenskunst. Erkundungen zu Biographie, Lebenswelt und Erinnerungen. (Eds.)

Lebenskunst ist jenes feine Gewebe, das unterschiedliche Erzählungen, vielfältige Zugänge und plu... more Lebenskunst ist jenes feine Gewebe, das unterschiedliche Erzählungen, vielfältige Zugänge und pluralistische Denkweisen verbindet. In diesem Lesebuch erkunden die Autorinnen und Autoren Fragen nach verschiedenen Lebenswelten und deren Deutungen und zeigen dabei die Verwobenheit von individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Perspektiven. Sie tun dies mit kritischem Blick auf historische, aktuelle wie künftigen Themen. Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge und nachdenklichen Essays, die engagierten Reflexionen und literarischen Kurztexte kreisen um Atmosphären und Wissenspraktiken, Transformationen und geglückte Passagen, aber auch Störungen und ultimative Brüche. Stets sind die Texte getragen von einem humanistischen Ideal einer Lebenskunst als jenem Modus der Alltagsbewältigung, die vom privaten Leben bis zur gesellschaftlichen Aushandlung von Zukunftsprojekten reicht.

Journal papers and book chapters by Katrin Sontag

Research paper thumbnail of Migration and Mobility: Environmental, Social and Political Dimensions

Bornemann, B; Knappe, H., & Nanz, Patrizia: The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Struggles for democracy: strategies and resources of initiatives for non-citizen voting rights at local levels in Europe

Comparative Migration Studies, 2022

This paper deals with non-citizen voting rights from the perspective of grassroots initiatives th... more This paper deals with non-citizen voting rights from the perspective of grassroots initiatives that campaign for more inclusive local voting rights for migrants. It looks at three initiatives in three European cities with a growing foreign population: in Basel (Switzerland), Brussels (Belgium), and Freiburg (Germany). All three initiatives address authorities with the need to increase options for migrant political participation at the local level, encourage political engagement, and raise awareness of the topic. The initiatives use different strategies, which include the performance and appropriation of rights in symbolic elections or parliamentary sessions. We interpret these activities as “acts of citizenship” and observe that these acts are not only responses to available political opportunity structures, but rather mobilize external and internal networks and invest considerable resources to make this kind of engagement possible in a specific “resource environment”.

Research paper thumbnail of A systematic literature review of reported challenges in health care delivery to migrants and refugees in high-income countries - the 3C model

Research paper thumbnail of Student and Retiree Mobilities

Handbook of Culture and Migration, Edited by Jeffrey H. Cohen, Ibrahim Sirkeci, 2021

Students and retirees are exemplifying the limits of general notions of migration: They move temp... more Students and retirees are exemplifying the limits of general notions of migration: They move temporarily, internally, or live multi-locally, and have been interpreted as liminal migrants. Both are usually regarded as privileged migrants – moving from the Global South to the Global North (students) and vice versa (retirees). We introduce different approaches to the study of student and retiree migration and discuss why this kind of interpretation and grouping is problematic. We argue that both movements are heterogenous and that individual migrants can connect different kinds of migration and mobility. To show this, we discuss examples from our research on student and retiree migrants that have not received as much attention yet: refugee students and return retiree migrants.

Research paper thumbnail of Perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality of care provided by a Swiss paediatric hospital: a qualitative study. Authors: Julia Brandenberger, Katrin Sontag, Cédric Duchêne-Lacroix, Fabienne Nicole Jaeger, Bernadette Peterhans, Nicole Ritz

BMJ Open, 2019

Objectives: This study investigated the perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality o... more Objectives: This study investigated the perspective of
asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality of healthcare
delivered to their children in a qualitative in-depth
interview study. The health of asylum-seeking children
is of key interest for healthcare providers, yet knowledge
of the perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers when
accessing healthcare is limited.
Setting: The study took place in a paediatric tertiary care
hospital in Basel, Switzerland.
Participants: Interviews were done with 13 asylumseeking caregivers who had presented with their children
at the paediatric tertiary care hospital. Nine female and
four male caregivers from Tibet, Eritrea, Afghanistan,
Syria, Iraq, Albania and Macedonia were included. A
diverse sample was chosen regarding cultural and social
background, years of residence in Switzerland and reasons
for seeking care. A previously developed and pilot-tested
interview guide was used for semistructured in-depth
interviews between 36 and 92 min in duration. Data
analysis and reporting was done according to Consolidated
Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. The number of
interviews was determined by saturation of data.
Results: The interviewees described a mismatch
of personal competencies and external challenges.
Communication barriers and unfamiliarity with new
health concepts were reported as challenges. These were
aggravated by isolation and concerns about their child’s
health. The following factors were reported to strongly
contribute to satisfaction of healthcare delivery: a respectful
and trusting caregiver–provider relationship, the presence
of interpreters and immediate availability of treatment.
Conclusions: A mismatch of personal competencies and
external challenges importantly influences the caregiver–
provider relationship. To overcome this mismatch
establishment of confidence was identified as a key factor.
This can be achieved by availability of interpreter services,
sufficient consultation time and transcultural trainings for
healthcare workers. Coordination between the family, the
government’s asylum system and the medical system is
required to facilitate this process.

Research paper thumbnail of Migration, Sustainability and Democracy: Current Debates on Environmental, Social, and Political Issues

nccr - on the move, Working Papers. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

This paper explores connections between migration on the one hand and sustainability and democrac... more This paper explores connections between migration on the one hand and sustainability and democracy on the other. It presents an introduction to ongoing debates and will be submitted to the Handbook of Sustainability and Democracy in a later version. The paper addresses three issues. Firstly, climate change as a cause of migration. It argues that the relation is not straightforward and the complexities of both, climate change and migration need to be acknowledged. Secondly, it addresses migration policies and sustainable policies of inclusion in countries to which people migrate. And thirdly, it considers the question of political rights in democracies of arrival. In each section, the paper looks at specific forms of mobility that are not part of the logics of official migration regimes.
https://nccr-onthemove.ch/wp_live14/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/nccrotm-WP24-Sontag.pdf

Research paper thumbnail of Refugee Students' Access to Three European Universities: An Ethnographic Study

Social Inclusion (ISSN: 2183–2803) 2019, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 71–79, 2019

The article presents an ethnographic fieldwork carried out at three universities in Switzerland, ... more The article presents an ethnographic fieldwork carried out at three universities in Switzerland, Germany, and France, and analyses how access to higher education for refugees was addressed in the three cases, how and which institutional change and activities were initiated, and by which actors. The article argues that the topic cannot be addressed in isolation but has to consider four intersecting areas: the personal biography and migratory history of the students, the asylum system, the educational system, and the funding situation. For the refugee students, the challenge is that these areas need to be taken into account simultaneously, but what is more challenging is that they are not well in tune with one another. Solutions need to take this complex-and place-specific-situation into account.

Research paper thumbnail of Highly Skilled Asylum Seekers: Case studies of refugee students at a Swiss university

Migration Letters 15(4), S. 533-544, 2018

The article argues that the applicability and value of “skills” depend to a considerable degree o... more The article argues that the applicability and value of “skills” depend to a considerable degree on the way in which a person enters a country. Based on a study on potential university students with refugee backgrounds, it shows how difficult it can be to transfer skills through the migration channel of asylum in Switzerland and how social and cultural capital may be reduced. The space in which asylum seekers live and operate is restricted in such intersecting fields as mobility, time, finances, languages, or access to information. In addition, the educational system has regulations regarding recognition. The article raises questions as to how education systems in the destination countries recognize, integrate and develop skills. It makes the case for re-assessing the very term “highly skilled”, along with the notions and associations that surround it, as an empirical object of research, rather than accepting it as a category in its own right.

Research paper thumbnail of Mobilität – der Weg zum Erfolg? Eine öffentliche Veranstaltung der Wissenschaftsvermittlung als para-ethnografisches Experiment

Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde/Archives suisses des traditions populaires , 2017

Dans quelle mesure une conférence qui rassemble des acteurs aux perspectives différentes peut-ell... more Dans quelle mesure une conférence qui rassemble des acteurs aux perspectives différentes peut-elle générer de nouvelles connaissances sur le rapport entre mobilité et succès ? Cet article se penche sur cette question en analysant sous l’angle de la « para-ethnographie » un événement organisé dans le cadre de la série de manifestations de l’Académie Suisse des Sciences Humaines et Sociales « La Suisse existe – La Suisse n’existe pas ». Plus qu’une simple conférence, cet événement se voulait être une expérience de mise en œuvre de méthodes collaboratives et participatives. En créant un espace de réflexion critique partagé, il cherchait non seulement à transmettre mais également à générer des analyses. L’article se penche sur le processus d’élaboration de cet événement et discute ses résultats. L’analyse du rapport entre mobilité et succès au moyen d’un dispositif inspiré du concept de « para-ethnographie » permet d’apporter un éclairage nouveau sur des aspects tant thématiques que méthodologiques.

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of Multilocal Living: Mobile Immobilities or Immobile Mobilities?

In: Bounded Mobilities: Ethnographic Perspectives on Social Hierarchies and Global Inequalities, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Narrating Multiple Mobilities of Startup Founders

In: Vailati, Alex und Carmen Rial (Hg.): Migration of Rich Immigrants. Gender, Ethncity and Class. London: Palgrave Macmillan., 2015

How coherent are migrant biographies? As portrayed in media and literature biographies of highly ... more How coherent are migrant biographies? As portrayed in media and literature biographies of highly qualified migrants seem to exemplify the promises of globalization in their trajectories. This paper is based on biographies of migrating founders of born global startups. Born global startups increasingly surfaced since the 1990s with the wave of the „New Economy“. They were new in two ways: Firstly, it became increasingly possible and attractive to found a business with little initial investment (mostly in the areas of services, IT, biotechnology, life sciences). Secondly, these enterprises were set up to work internationally right from the beginning.
This chapter is based on a study of biographies of such founders in Switzerland. It explores the role migration and mobility take within their biographies and daily lives, as condition, as strategy and as consequence. And it explores different forms of migration and mobility, as people move from one place to another, live multilocally, lead a virtual team that is spread out over different offices, travel extensively or commute to work crossing national boundaries. Secondly, it asks, how experiences of mobility shape their career opportunities and decisions and explores the relationship between migration and the formation of a company. The founding process becomes visible as „mobility related work“, as it interacts with questions of integration, struggles with personal living conditions, self-development, social engagement and innovation – and different orientation schemes.

Research paper thumbnail of The pursuit of happiness? Migration von Hochqualifizierten.

Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde, 2015

Der Migration Hochqualifizierter kommt in Forschungen der Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften zunehm... more Der Migration Hochqualifizierter kommt in Forschungen der Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften
zunehmend Interesse entgegen. Während unserer dreijährigen Forschung zur arbeitsbedingten
Migration von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern an Universitäten sowie von Gründerinnen
und Gründern von Startup-Unternehmen1 beschäftigte uns jedoch immer wieder die
Frage, mit welchen theoretischen Konzepten wir der Vielfalt an Lebenswirklichkeiten unserer
Interviewpartnerinnen und -partnern gerecht werden können. Dieser Artikel stellt einen Beitrag
zur Theoriediskussion in diesem Feld dar. Wir schlagen eine Verschränkung von Migrations- und
Mobilitätsperspektiven vor und diskutieren diese am Beispiel unserer Forschungsergebnisse. Der
Artikel setzt sich dazu kritisch mit dem Topos «hochqualifiziert» als ‹andere› Migrantinnen und
Migranten auseinander. Wir regen an, das Sample differenziert zu betrachten und nicht von einer
‹sorglos mobilen Elite› auszugehen.

Research paper thumbnail of Ansätze für eine kulturanthropologische Untersuchung hochqualifizierter Migrantinnen und Migranten: Eine kulturwissenschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme

In: Studer, Brigitte, C. Arni, W. Leimgruber, J. Matthieu und L. Tissot (Hg.): Die Schweiz anderswo – La Suisse ailleurs. Auslandsschweizerinnen und -schweizer im Ausland; Schweizerisches Jahrbuch für Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte. Band 29. Zürich: Chronos., 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Der erste "internationale Tag für das Wahlrecht für alle Einwohner*innen"

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2021

Selina Reusser, Katrin Sontag Die internationale Mobilität führt dazu, dass ein wachsender Anteil... more Selina Reusser, Katrin Sontag
Die internationale Mobilität führt dazu, dass ein wachsender Anteil der Wohnbevölkerung in Europa kein Wahlrecht hat. Dieser Blogbeitrag stellt europäische Initiativen vor, die sich angesichts dieses demokratischen Defizits für inklusivere politische Rechte einsetzen. So fand etwa am 26. April 2021 der erste internationale «Tag für das Wahlrecht für alle» statt, organisiert vom neu gegründeten Netzwerk 'Voting Rights for ALL Residents' (VRAR).

Research paper thumbnail of Non-Citizen Voting Rights: A New European Network

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

As borders closed and countries shifted to a national focus, establishing lockdowns and social di... more As borders closed and countries shifted to a national focus, establishing lockdowns and social distancing measures, these extraordinary circumstances actually sped up the creation of a new network linking six initiatives in different European countries striving to obtain voting rights for residents without the local citizenship.

Research paper thumbnail of Refugees in Higher Education - Developments in 2019

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

Education at universities is not easily accessible for asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. The... more Education at universities is not easily accessible for asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. The daily life of asylum seekers and provisionally admitted persons is highly regulated. When it comes to refugee students, the rules of the education system intersect with the ones on the asylum system, thus further restricting their access to higher education. These were our findings of an nccr – on the move research project, and a related Policy Brief, which ended in 2018. What has happened since then?
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/refugees-in-higher-education-developments-in-2019/

Research paper thumbnail of Social Cohesion Through Solidarity with Refugees Blog nccr – on the move

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

This blog post looks at activists and projects that support homeless refugees as an example of so... more This blog post looks at activists and projects that support
homeless refugees as an example of social cohesion through
solidarity that takes place in local or transnational networks.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/social-cohesion-through-solidarity-with-refugees/

Research paper thumbnail of Voting Rights – A Question of Nationality or Residence?

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2019

In times of global migration and mobility citizenship and voting rights need to be reconsidered, ... more In times of global migration and mobility citizenship and voting rights need to be reconsidered, especially in countries or cities with a high rate of foreign residents. In Brussels an initiative is proposing to grant voting rights to all residents of the city. In Switzerland the concept of citizenship in a mobile society is under discussion.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/voting-rights-a-question-of-nationality-or-residence/?lang=de

Research paper thumbnail of Mobile Entrepreneurs: An Ethnographic Study of the Migration of the Highly Skilled

Migration, mobility, and globalization are transforming ways of working and living. Business acti... more Migration, mobility, and globalization are transforming ways of working and living. Business activities, relationships and a sense of belonging are often not tied to any one place. This book explores biographies of highly mobile startup founders who often run startups that have been called „born global“. It describes how they move, how they orientate and perceive themselves, and how migration and mobility play a role beyond the physical act of ‘moving’. Presenting current ethnographic research, the book critically discusses approaches in migration and mobility studies and the research field of the „migration of the highly skilled“.

Research paper thumbnail of Lebenskunst. Erkundungen zu Biographie, Lebenswelt und Erinnerungen. (Eds.)

Lebenskunst ist jenes feine Gewebe, das unterschiedliche Erzählungen, vielfältige Zugänge und plu... more Lebenskunst ist jenes feine Gewebe, das unterschiedliche Erzählungen, vielfältige Zugänge und pluralistische Denkweisen verbindet. In diesem Lesebuch erkunden die Autorinnen und Autoren Fragen nach verschiedenen Lebenswelten und deren Deutungen und zeigen dabei die Verwobenheit von individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Perspektiven. Sie tun dies mit kritischem Blick auf historische, aktuelle wie künftigen Themen. Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge und nachdenklichen Essays, die engagierten Reflexionen und literarischen Kurztexte kreisen um Atmosphären und Wissenspraktiken, Transformationen und geglückte Passagen, aber auch Störungen und ultimative Brüche. Stets sind die Texte getragen von einem humanistischen Ideal einer Lebenskunst als jenem Modus der Alltagsbewältigung, die vom privaten Leben bis zur gesellschaftlichen Aushandlung von Zukunftsprojekten reicht.

Research paper thumbnail of Migration and Mobility: Environmental, Social and Political Dimensions

Bornemann, B; Knappe, H., & Nanz, Patrizia: The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Struggles for democracy: strategies and resources of initiatives for non-citizen voting rights at local levels in Europe

Comparative Migration Studies, 2022

This paper deals with non-citizen voting rights from the perspective of grassroots initiatives th... more This paper deals with non-citizen voting rights from the perspective of grassroots initiatives that campaign for more inclusive local voting rights for migrants. It looks at three initiatives in three European cities with a growing foreign population: in Basel (Switzerland), Brussels (Belgium), and Freiburg (Germany). All three initiatives address authorities with the need to increase options for migrant political participation at the local level, encourage political engagement, and raise awareness of the topic. The initiatives use different strategies, which include the performance and appropriation of rights in symbolic elections or parliamentary sessions. We interpret these activities as “acts of citizenship” and observe that these acts are not only responses to available political opportunity structures, but rather mobilize external and internal networks and invest considerable resources to make this kind of engagement possible in a specific “resource environment”.

Research paper thumbnail of A systematic literature review of reported challenges in health care delivery to migrants and refugees in high-income countries - the 3C model

Research paper thumbnail of Student and Retiree Mobilities

Handbook of Culture and Migration, Edited by Jeffrey H. Cohen, Ibrahim Sirkeci, 2021

Students and retirees are exemplifying the limits of general notions of migration: They move temp... more Students and retirees are exemplifying the limits of general notions of migration: They move temporarily, internally, or live multi-locally, and have been interpreted as liminal migrants. Both are usually regarded as privileged migrants – moving from the Global South to the Global North (students) and vice versa (retirees). We introduce different approaches to the study of student and retiree migration and discuss why this kind of interpretation and grouping is problematic. We argue that both movements are heterogenous and that individual migrants can connect different kinds of migration and mobility. To show this, we discuss examples from our research on student and retiree migrants that have not received as much attention yet: refugee students and return retiree migrants.

Research paper thumbnail of Perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality of care provided by a Swiss paediatric hospital: a qualitative study. Authors: Julia Brandenberger, Katrin Sontag, Cédric Duchêne-Lacroix, Fabienne Nicole Jaeger, Bernadette Peterhans, Nicole Ritz

BMJ Open, 2019

Objectives: This study investigated the perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality o... more Objectives: This study investigated the perspective of
asylum-seeking caregivers on the quality of healthcare
delivered to their children in a qualitative in-depth
interview study. The health of asylum-seeking children
is of key interest for healthcare providers, yet knowledge
of the perspective of asylum-seeking caregivers when
accessing healthcare is limited.
Setting: The study took place in a paediatric tertiary care
hospital in Basel, Switzerland.
Participants: Interviews were done with 13 asylumseeking caregivers who had presented with their children
at the paediatric tertiary care hospital. Nine female and
four male caregivers from Tibet, Eritrea, Afghanistan,
Syria, Iraq, Albania and Macedonia were included. A
diverse sample was chosen regarding cultural and social
background, years of residence in Switzerland and reasons
for seeking care. A previously developed and pilot-tested
interview guide was used for semistructured in-depth
interviews between 36 and 92 min in duration. Data
analysis and reporting was done according to Consolidated
Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. The number of
interviews was determined by saturation of data.
Results: The interviewees described a mismatch
of personal competencies and external challenges.
Communication barriers and unfamiliarity with new
health concepts were reported as challenges. These were
aggravated by isolation and concerns about their child’s
health. The following factors were reported to strongly
contribute to satisfaction of healthcare delivery: a respectful
and trusting caregiver–provider relationship, the presence
of interpreters and immediate availability of treatment.
Conclusions: A mismatch of personal competencies and
external challenges importantly influences the caregiver–
provider relationship. To overcome this mismatch
establishment of confidence was identified as a key factor.
This can be achieved by availability of interpreter services,
sufficient consultation time and transcultural trainings for
healthcare workers. Coordination between the family, the
government’s asylum system and the medical system is
required to facilitate this process.

Research paper thumbnail of Migration, Sustainability and Democracy: Current Debates on Environmental, Social, and Political Issues

nccr - on the move, Working Papers. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

This paper explores connections between migration on the one hand and sustainability and democrac... more This paper explores connections between migration on the one hand and sustainability and democracy on the other. It presents an introduction to ongoing debates and will be submitted to the Handbook of Sustainability and Democracy in a later version. The paper addresses three issues. Firstly, climate change as a cause of migration. It argues that the relation is not straightforward and the complexities of both, climate change and migration need to be acknowledged. Secondly, it addresses migration policies and sustainable policies of inclusion in countries to which people migrate. And thirdly, it considers the question of political rights in democracies of arrival. In each section, the paper looks at specific forms of mobility that are not part of the logics of official migration regimes.
https://nccr-onthemove.ch/wp_live14/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/nccrotm-WP24-Sontag.pdf

Research paper thumbnail of Refugee Students' Access to Three European Universities: An Ethnographic Study

Social Inclusion (ISSN: 2183–2803) 2019, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 71–79, 2019

The article presents an ethnographic fieldwork carried out at three universities in Switzerland, ... more The article presents an ethnographic fieldwork carried out at three universities in Switzerland, Germany, and France, and analyses how access to higher education for refugees was addressed in the three cases, how and which institutional change and activities were initiated, and by which actors. The article argues that the topic cannot be addressed in isolation but has to consider four intersecting areas: the personal biography and migratory history of the students, the asylum system, the educational system, and the funding situation. For the refugee students, the challenge is that these areas need to be taken into account simultaneously, but what is more challenging is that they are not well in tune with one another. Solutions need to take this complex-and place-specific-situation into account.

Research paper thumbnail of Highly Skilled Asylum Seekers: Case studies of refugee students at a Swiss university

Migration Letters 15(4), S. 533-544, 2018

The article argues that the applicability and value of “skills” depend to a considerable degree o... more The article argues that the applicability and value of “skills” depend to a considerable degree on the way in which a person enters a country. Based on a study on potential university students with refugee backgrounds, it shows how difficult it can be to transfer skills through the migration channel of asylum in Switzerland and how social and cultural capital may be reduced. The space in which asylum seekers live and operate is restricted in such intersecting fields as mobility, time, finances, languages, or access to information. In addition, the educational system has regulations regarding recognition. The article raises questions as to how education systems in the destination countries recognize, integrate and develop skills. It makes the case for re-assessing the very term “highly skilled”, along with the notions and associations that surround it, as an empirical object of research, rather than accepting it as a category in its own right.

Research paper thumbnail of Mobilität – der Weg zum Erfolg? Eine öffentliche Veranstaltung der Wissenschaftsvermittlung als para-ethnografisches Experiment

Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde/Archives suisses des traditions populaires , 2017

Dans quelle mesure une conférence qui rassemble des acteurs aux perspectives différentes peut-ell... more Dans quelle mesure une conférence qui rassemble des acteurs aux perspectives différentes peut-elle générer de nouvelles connaissances sur le rapport entre mobilité et succès ? Cet article se penche sur cette question en analysant sous l’angle de la « para-ethnographie » un événement organisé dans le cadre de la série de manifestations de l’Académie Suisse des Sciences Humaines et Sociales « La Suisse existe – La Suisse n’existe pas ». Plus qu’une simple conférence, cet événement se voulait être une expérience de mise en œuvre de méthodes collaboratives et participatives. En créant un espace de réflexion critique partagé, il cherchait non seulement à transmettre mais également à générer des analyses. L’article se penche sur le processus d’élaboration de cet événement et discute ses résultats. L’analyse du rapport entre mobilité et succès au moyen d’un dispositif inspiré du concept de « para-ethnographie » permet d’apporter un éclairage nouveau sur des aspects tant thématiques que méthodologiques.

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of Multilocal Living: Mobile Immobilities or Immobile Mobilities?

In: Bounded Mobilities: Ethnographic Perspectives on Social Hierarchies and Global Inequalities, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Narrating Multiple Mobilities of Startup Founders

In: Vailati, Alex und Carmen Rial (Hg.): Migration of Rich Immigrants. Gender, Ethncity and Class. London: Palgrave Macmillan., 2015

How coherent are migrant biographies? As portrayed in media and literature biographies of highly ... more How coherent are migrant biographies? As portrayed in media and literature biographies of highly qualified migrants seem to exemplify the promises of globalization in their trajectories. This paper is based on biographies of migrating founders of born global startups. Born global startups increasingly surfaced since the 1990s with the wave of the „New Economy“. They were new in two ways: Firstly, it became increasingly possible and attractive to found a business with little initial investment (mostly in the areas of services, IT, biotechnology, life sciences). Secondly, these enterprises were set up to work internationally right from the beginning.
This chapter is based on a study of biographies of such founders in Switzerland. It explores the role migration and mobility take within their biographies and daily lives, as condition, as strategy and as consequence. And it explores different forms of migration and mobility, as people move from one place to another, live multilocally, lead a virtual team that is spread out over different offices, travel extensively or commute to work crossing national boundaries. Secondly, it asks, how experiences of mobility shape their career opportunities and decisions and explores the relationship between migration and the formation of a company. The founding process becomes visible as „mobility related work“, as it interacts with questions of integration, struggles with personal living conditions, self-development, social engagement and innovation – and different orientation schemes.

Research paper thumbnail of The pursuit of happiness? Migration von Hochqualifizierten.

Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde, 2015

Der Migration Hochqualifizierter kommt in Forschungen der Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften zunehm... more Der Migration Hochqualifizierter kommt in Forschungen der Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften
zunehmend Interesse entgegen. Während unserer dreijährigen Forschung zur arbeitsbedingten
Migration von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern an Universitäten sowie von Gründerinnen
und Gründern von Startup-Unternehmen1 beschäftigte uns jedoch immer wieder die
Frage, mit welchen theoretischen Konzepten wir der Vielfalt an Lebenswirklichkeiten unserer
Interviewpartnerinnen und -partnern gerecht werden können. Dieser Artikel stellt einen Beitrag
zur Theoriediskussion in diesem Feld dar. Wir schlagen eine Verschränkung von Migrations- und
Mobilitätsperspektiven vor und diskutieren diese am Beispiel unserer Forschungsergebnisse. Der
Artikel setzt sich dazu kritisch mit dem Topos «hochqualifiziert» als ‹andere› Migrantinnen und
Migranten auseinander. Wir regen an, das Sample differenziert zu betrachten und nicht von einer
‹sorglos mobilen Elite› auszugehen.

Research paper thumbnail of Ansätze für eine kulturanthropologische Untersuchung hochqualifizierter Migrantinnen und Migranten: Eine kulturwissenschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme

In: Studer, Brigitte, C. Arni, W. Leimgruber, J. Matthieu und L. Tissot (Hg.): Die Schweiz anderswo – La Suisse ailleurs. Auslandsschweizerinnen und -schweizer im Ausland; Schweizerisches Jahrbuch für Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte. Band 29. Zürich: Chronos., 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Der erste "internationale Tag für das Wahlrecht für alle Einwohner*innen"

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2021

Selina Reusser, Katrin Sontag Die internationale Mobilität führt dazu, dass ein wachsender Anteil... more Selina Reusser, Katrin Sontag
Die internationale Mobilität führt dazu, dass ein wachsender Anteil der Wohnbevölkerung in Europa kein Wahlrecht hat. Dieser Blogbeitrag stellt europäische Initiativen vor, die sich angesichts dieses demokratischen Defizits für inklusivere politische Rechte einsetzen. So fand etwa am 26. April 2021 der erste internationale «Tag für das Wahlrecht für alle» statt, organisiert vom neu gegründeten Netzwerk 'Voting Rights for ALL Residents' (VRAR).

Research paper thumbnail of Non-Citizen Voting Rights: A New European Network

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

As borders closed and countries shifted to a national focus, establishing lockdowns and social di... more As borders closed and countries shifted to a national focus, establishing lockdowns and social distancing measures, these extraordinary circumstances actually sped up the creation of a new network linking six initiatives in different European countries striving to obtain voting rights for residents without the local citizenship.

Research paper thumbnail of Refugees in Higher Education - Developments in 2019

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

Education at universities is not easily accessible for asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. The... more Education at universities is not easily accessible for asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. The daily life of asylum seekers and provisionally admitted persons is highly regulated. When it comes to refugee students, the rules of the education system intersect with the ones on the asylum system, thus further restricting their access to higher education. These were our findings of an nccr – on the move research project, and a related Policy Brief, which ended in 2018. What has happened since then?
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/refugees-in-higher-education-developments-in-2019/

Research paper thumbnail of Social Cohesion Through Solidarity with Refugees Blog nccr – on the move

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2020

This blog post looks at activists and projects that support homeless refugees as an example of so... more This blog post looks at activists and projects that support
homeless refugees as an example of social cohesion through
solidarity that takes place in local or transnational networks.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/social-cohesion-through-solidarity-with-refugees/

Research paper thumbnail of Voting Rights – A Question of Nationality or Residence?

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2019

In times of global migration and mobility citizenship and voting rights need to be reconsidered, ... more In times of global migration and mobility citizenship and voting rights need to be reconsidered, especially in countries or cities with a high rate of foreign residents. In Brussels an initiative is proposing to grant voting rights to all residents of the city. In Switzerland the concept of citizenship in a mobile society is under discussion.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/voting-rights-a-question-of-nationality-or-residence/?lang=de

Research paper thumbnail of Netzwerke von Start-up-Gründerinnen und –Gründern. Mit Ideen unterwegs im transurbanen Raum

terra cognita Schweizer Zeitschrift für Integration und Migration, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Wall That Already Exists at the U.S.-Mexican Border

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2018

While building a wall between the United States and Mexico is a dominant media topic, the border ... more While building a wall between the United States and Mexico is a dominant media topic, the border is already fortified in many places. Art and graffiti, reminiscent of the Berlin wall, is expressing the mourning of the dead and reminding the observers of freedom and peace in Tijuana – a walk at its most Western edge.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/the-wall-that-already-exists-at-the-u-s-mexican-border/?lang=de

Research paper thumbnail of Deported to Mexico as Strangers

nccr - on the move, Blog. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research – the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2018

More than 100 000 people were deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Some of them hav... more More than 100 000 people were deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Some of them have been living in the United States as undocumented immigrants for many years. Some of them do not have family connections in Mexico or speak Spanish. What happens once they arrive in Mexico? A visit to a migrant shelter in Tijuana.
https://blog.nccr-onthemove.ch/deported-to-mexico-as-strangers/?lang=de

Research paper thumbnail of What are Current Demands for More Inclusive Voting Rights in Migration Societies?

nccr - on the move, National Center of Competence in Research - The Migration-Mobility Nexus (Policy Briefs "in a nutshell"), 2021

Increasing international mobility has led to the situation that growing parts of local population... more Increasing international mobility has led to the situation
that growing parts of local populations in Europe are
residents without voting rights – a situation that presents
a deficit in countries with a democratic system. This
policy brief introduces activist groups and policy demands
in Swiss and European cities that advocate an extension
of local voting rights for non-national residents.
Available at: https://nccr-onthemove.ch/what-are-current-demands-for-more-inclusive-voting-rights-in-migration-societies/

Research paper thumbnail of What Are the Barriers for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Who Want to Enrol at a Swiss University? (Policy Brief available in English, German, and French)

Policy Brief nccr - on the move. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research - The Migration-Mobility Nexus., 2018

Some of the refugees forced to flee their home country are young people who have just graduated f... more Some of the refugees forced to flee their home country
are young people who have just graduated from
secondary school, completed one or more semesters
at university level, or already hold a first degree.
They want to continue their university studies in
Europe, but encounter a variety of obstacles standing
in their way. They are, however, also supported by
Swiss students and universities. What difficulties do
they encounter, and what measures are especially
helpful in this situation?

Research paper thumbnail of The Mobility of the ‹Highly Skilled› towards Switzerland

nccr - on the move. Neuchâtel: National Center of Competence in Research - the Migration Mobility Nexus, 2018

Migrants to Switzerland are better educated than ever before. Yet, while many highly qualified mi... more Migrants to Switzerland are better educated than ever before. Yet, while many highly qualified migrants hold highly regarded positions others are still unable to use their skills. Our goal is to understand the implications of uneven access to resources, opportunities and social participation for different groups of highly qualified migrants. We observe that migrants who come as spouses, students, and asylum seekers face specific challenges despite being highly educated. We suggest some solutions aimed at enabling all migrants to participate more fully in the
economic and social life of the country where they live.