The German Migration Integration Regime: Syrian Refugees, Bureaucracy, and Inclusion

Syrian refugees who gained asylum in Germany following the so-called refugee crisis in 2015 quickly entered into an integration regime which produced a binary notion of well integrated migrants versus refugees falling short of the narrow social and political definitions of a good refugee.

Etzels rich ethnographic study shows how refugees navigated this conditional inclusion. While some asylum seekers gained international protection, others were left with limited agency to demand government accountability for the ever-moving target of integration.

Putting a spotlight on the inconsistencies and failings of a universal approach to integration, this is an important contribution to the wider field of migration and anthropology of the state.