Nina von Nolting: Nation im Exil? Eritreer in Deutschland [PDF]

2010
262 pp.
2 maps, 1 graph, 3 tables

Text language: German

There were about 25,000 Eritreans living in Germany in 2010; in 2021 they amounted to about 80,000 people. The first of them were political refugees fleeing from the impacts of the war of independence against Ethiopia, representing a solidly united community for a long time, which was connected by the aiming for a free nation of Eritrea. By now, the exile community largely consists of the following generation which grew up in Germany. These specific developments, but primarily the changes in the country of origin, seem to influence the community building of the people living in exile. In the meantime, despite Eritrea developed into a sovereign state, the political changes from an “African model state” celebrated in the first instance to a repressive single-party government lead to doubts and conflicting points of view among the expatriates.

In which way migrants ally to a community and how they act individually does not only depend on the social conditions of the country they immigrate to – a fact becoming apparent in the case of Eritreans in Germany. The present study shows that the dynamics and political situation of the migrants’ home country are also strong factors contributing to their specific organization structure and personal decisions.

Under these links you will find further empirical studies focusing on migration and the position of asylees in Germany, Europe and African societies: