REHAM HASSANEN
Fakultät Architektur und Urbanistik
Professur für sozialwissenschaftliche Stadtforschung
THEMA: Revisiting Integration through Cultural Mapping: Cultural integration of Arab Newcomers in German cities (Thuringen)
Why are you researching or studying at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar?
The anticipated support to my project from both the ‘Chair of Urban Studies and Social Research’ and the ‘Institute for European Urban Studies’ (IfEU) at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism would offer complementary thematic and methodological input in different areas related to my research. Renowned academic expertise on social integration and established connections with relevant local actors in the state of Thuringia by the chair would be vital to my research. Since my research touches on themes of migration, social participation, and spatial justice, I strongly believe that the stimulating academic environment animated by the cross-disciplinary competences available through the IfEU, its current research landscape, and its associated chairs would provide me with boundless knowledge exchange opportunities. Together, this would help me expand my research toolbox, access relevant resources, and engage with both specialized and non-specialized audiences, all of which would further develop my research.
What is special about your project? Why is it relevant?
My research addresses the cultural integration of Arab newcomers in Thüringen (Weimar), with a special focus on their lived experience and daily interactions with the physical and social space. A key contribution of this territory-based study is to advance Cultural Mapping as an emerging, visual-verbal, mode of research in integration studies by exploring its use as a methodological tool. The research problematizes linear, normative, and partly-dominant notions of integration, which tend to silence migrants’ voices and focus on: economic reason, massive categorization, and forced adaptation. Being an Arab female newcomer myself, I believe I will be uniquely situated to approach this topic in a more inclusive, culturally-responsive, and gender-sensitive manner. As the interpretation of meaning is the core of qualitative research, sharing linguistic understanding and cultural experiences with participants, would enable me to accurately convey the true meaning of their experiences and obtain a sufficient depth in my analysis.
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