Alexander Böttcher, MA

About the Person

 

Alexander Boettcher

Since: 07/2023: Migration-related colloquium under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Juliane Karakayalı. Berlin.

Since 06/2023: Innsbruck Doctoral College "Dynamics of Inequality and Difference in the Age of Globalization", Research Unit "Cultural Encounters - Cultural Conflicts", University of Innsbruck, Austria Supvervisors: Erol Yildiz und Juliane Karakayali (Evangelische Hochschule Berlin)

Since 06/2023: Freelance Lecturer, European Distance Learning University Hamburg (Euro FH)

04/2023: 1669 International Conference Scholarship Innsbruck University  

Since 12/2023: Doctoral Scholarship Innsbruck University

2020-2023: Various professional activities (social pedagogical support for language course participants, coordination of school programs, lecturer for educators and pedagogical assistants). Berlin.

2017-2019: Student assistant at the Institute of Education Science, Department of Migration and Education, as well as student project assistant for the Sparkling-Science research project "Faces of Migration" at Innsbruck University

2016-2017: Course instructor for German and media courses for refugees, Kijufi e.V. Berlin

PhD project

Integration Measures and Negotiation Processes: A Post-migrant Perspective on Practices and Positionings of Language Course Participants and Civil Society Organizations

Connected to migration processes, the concept of integration has been established. It generally refers to the idea that immigrants (and their descendants) should assimilate into a "majority society." The acquisition of the German language is considered particularly important, which is why state-funded language courses have been established as so-called "integration measures."

A particularly interesting field of investigation in this context is "migrant (self)organizations" and similar forms of organizations, such as "New German Organizations" in Germany, which offer and conduct state-funded language courses. In recent years, several such organizations have emerged in this field of activity, at least in Germany.

The research interest is justified, on the one hand, by interpreting the (ambivalent) establishment processes of these organizations as expressions of a post-migrant society. On the other hand, it addresses a research gap, as little is known about the perspectives of language course participants and representatives of the organizations in this setting.

The study is guided by the following central question: "How do language course participants and representatives of migrant (self)organizations or New German Organizations practically deal with state-funded language courses in Germany, understood as a government integration measure, and how do they position themselves?"

Furthermore, the research project addresses the following overarching questions: Who or what are "migrants" in our contemporary societies? When are individuals labeled as "migrants" and when are they not? How can research critically and reflexively engage with distinctions between "natives" and "migrants"? How can we better understand current educational settings?

Research interests

  • Migration and Integration Processes in Post-Migrant Society

  • Critical Integration Research

  • Civil Society

  • Multilingualism, Monolingualism, Language (in Educational Contexts)

  • Post- and Decolonial Perspectives

Publications

  • Since 2022: Column "Contrapunto" at MiGAZIN.

  • Since 2022: Articles for the personal and multilingual blog "LatinX en Berlin."

  • Böttcher, A. (2019): Civil Society in a Post-Migrant Context? An Attempt to Define the Concept. Innsbruck. Master's thesis.

  • Böttcher, A.; Hill, M.; Rotter, A.; Schacht, F.; Wolf, M.; Yıldız, E. (2019) (Ed.): Migration Moves and Educates: Counterpoint Perspectives. Innsbruck: innsbruck university press.

  • Böttcher, A. (2019): Constructing Old Images Anew? Reflections on the Impact and Role of Images in Historical Perspective up to the Cologne New Year's Eve 2015/16. In: Böttcher, A.; Hill, M.; Rotter, A.; Schacht, F.; Wolf, M.; Yıldız, E. (Ed.): Migration Moves and Educates: Counterpoint Perspectives. Innsbruck: innsbruck university press. 261-283.

  • Böttcher, A. (2018): What Happened to the "Summer of Migration" 2015 in Innsbruck? A Small Study. In: FLUCHTpunkt (Ed.): FLUCHTpunkt Info, No. 16, June 2018. Innsbruck. 17-19.

  • 2017 to 2019: Various contributions to the research blog as part of the Sparkling-Science research project "Faces of Migration".

Conference presentations

  • Measures of integration and processes of mediation. A postmigrant view on the practices and positionings of participants of language courses and organizations of civil society.  | TiSSA (The international Social Work & Society Academy), Online Doctoral School”. Organized by Department of Social Work & Social Pedagogy of Ghent University and the Centre for Sociological Research of the KU Leuven (Belgium). Online. March 2023.

  • "Integration work" by "migrant* organizations" in relations of social differentiation and racism. | Conference "Racism as a Challenge for the Immigration Society. Conference for Young Researchers." Organized by the Working Group "Migration Policy" in the German Association for Political Science (DVPW) and others. Münster. May 2023.

  • Understanding postmigrant societies through a postcolonial and decolonial lens? | Conference "Migration and Societal Change." Utrecht University. Utrecht. June 2023.

  • Migrant* organizations and New German Organizations in the postmigrant society. Present and future? | Lecture at "heimaten" by berlinovo. Society for Intercultural Living-together. Berlin. August 2023.

  • A postmigrant approach to civil society "integration work". | Poster presentation at the DeZIM Conference for PhD Students 2023. Organized by WZB Berlin and DeZIM. Berlin. October 2023.

Memberships

  • German Society for Educational Science (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft e.V.)

  • Self-organized international writing and discussion group ("Writing Fellowship") of doctoral students in migration and gender studies from Switzerland, Portugal, Norway, Austria and Germany.

Contact

Mail: Alexander.boettcher@student.uibk.ac.at

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