Research Project "Cities of Refuge"
Dr. Helene Heuser’s (MA phil., MA jur.) research project on "Cities of Refuge" examines a glocal concept of refugee protection.
Cities have played a crucial role in refugee and immigration admission since antiquity. Currently, municipalities are experiencing a revival as actors of migration and refugee policy. Besides their traditional task of integrating refugees and other migrants into local communities, this also concerns admission and deportation.
This touches on legal and philosophical questions. What might refugee protection look like beyond international, supranational and national migration regimes? The research project “Cities of Refuge” seeks to (re)introduce a traditional-innovative and concrete-utopian concept that fosters hospitality, mobility and solidarity.
Helene Heuser has published a number of articles and blog posts, has given talks and interviews and has been advising several local initiatives and networks on this topic. See below for a selection of developments on this research project. To see a full overview of current and past project news see the website in German.