Civic education as an integration offer?
What is integration? Who should be integrated where, why and under what conditions? As civic educators, we seek to answer these questions. Consequently, we examine which knowledge, skills and structures are essential for the success of integration so that we can speak of successful integration from the perspective of civic education.
Integration is particularly thought about and discussed when aspects of migration are involved. This is also often the case in political education. Since many people have fled and immigrated to Germany in the past ten years in particular, the topic of integration of immigrants has been a constant focus. The focus is often directed - and narrowed - towards people with a so-called migrant background. They are seen as a special group of people. Among them, those who are of foreign origin and who have undergone a different political, cultural and religious socialization than is apparently the norm in Germany appear to be primarily "in need of integration". In order to belong, immigrants and their descendants must - according to the prevailing idea - fulfill certain conditions: For example, they should take part in integration courses, swear by the Basic Law, not place too much emphasis on their faith or/and learn the German language and use it largely error-free. The pressure of always having to prove themselves often leads to immigrants and their descendants always feeling like strangers in Germany. They do not belong as they are and are not perceived, recognized and valued as competent people in their own right. Instead, it seems that people talk and make decisions over their heads. Their needs, ideas, abilities and experiences are not sufficiently recognized. This and other factors are putting the bond between immigrants (and their children and grandchildren) and Germany and the local society to the test.
If we look at immigration as an exemplary approach to the topic of integration, it becomes very clear what the core issue is: integration always deals with certain ideas and feelings of belonging and attachment as well as perceived foreignness and otherness. This is why integration has long played a role not only against the background of immigration, origin, skin color or/and religion, but in the lives of all people, almost on a daily basis. However, we are often not aware of this. There have always been questions about integration. They always arise when people come together: for example in the neighborhood, at school, at work and/or in a club, but also in democratic politics. Where do I (not) feel like I belong and why? What role(s) do I take on in a certain situation/setting? Do I like this role? Are there moments when I feel disadvantaged and not seen? What responsibility do I have, what can I co-decide and to what extent am I able to help shape my environment? What do I identify with? What is "normal" and "appropriate" for me and why? Political educators must first and foremost provide ways and means that are suitable for dealing with these questions in an appropriate manner. It is also the task of civic education to raise awareness of the fact that integration surrounds and affects every individual everywhere and that it is worth thinking carefully about it. Such reflection on being a part, processes of identification and becoming a part is a prerequisite, demanding and has so far often been trivialized and underestimated in educational processes.
Recommended reading:
Achour, Sabine (2018): Die „gespaltene Gesellschaft“. Herausforderungen und Konsequenzen für die politische Bildung. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte: Politische Bildung 13-14, S. 40-46.
Bödeker, Sebastian (2014): Die ungleiche Bürgergesellschaft – Warum soziale Ungleichheit zum Problem für die Demokratie wird. In: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Hrsg.): Dossier Bildung. online verfügbar
Some useful background information on social disintegration in democracy is provided in the two texts.
Foroutan, Naika: Was zu tun ist – für eine gelingende Migrationsgesellschaft. Gespräch mit der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Sachsen. online verfügbar
Prof. Naika Foroutan is a true luminary in the field of integration research. Some of her central ideas for living together in an immigration society can be heard here.
Literature for further reading:
Hufer, Klaus-Peter (2006): Welche politische Bildung braucht die Einwanderungsgesellschaft? In: Behrens, Heidi/ Motte, Jan (Hrsg.): Politische Bildung in der Einwanderungsgesellschaf. Schwalbach/ Ts., S. 408-415.
Lange, Dirk (2009): Migrationspolitische Bildung. Das Bürgerbewusstsein in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft, Universität Hannover. online verfügbar
Rind-Menzel, Laura (2019): Politische Bildung als Einbürgerungsangebot? In: Bochmann, Cathleen/ Döring, Helge (Hrsg.): Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt gestalten, Berlin, S. 327-350.
Group constellations and perceptions often play a central role in integration: there is often talk of an imagined "us" and the "others": the following literature is very impressive for understanding mechanisms of so-called othering:
Do Mar Castro Varela, Maria/ Mercheril, Paul (2016): Die Dämonisierung der Anderen, Bielefeld.
Scherr, Albert (2017): Wir und die Anderen. In: Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten (Hrsg.): Die Konstruktion der Anderen. In: Außerschulische Bildung 02/2017, Bonn, S. 10-15.
Since (perceived) injustice and power relations also play a role in (perceived) disintegration, the following articles are recommended as basic literature:
Transfer für Bildung e. V. (2018): „Es geht darum, Macht- und Herrschaftsverhältnisse zu hinterfragen.“ Interview mit C. Riegel. online verfügbar
Wagner, Bernd (2010): Fremdsein und Statuspassage. Perspektiven für Bildungsangebote mit der Zielgruppe Neuzuwandernde. In: Mercheril, Paul (Hrsg.): Spannungsverhältnisse, Münster, S. 173-188.
Yildiz, Erol (2010): Über die Normalisierung kultureller Hegemonie im Alltag. In: Mecheril, Paul/ Dirim, Inci/ Gomolla, Mechthild/ Hornberg, Sabine/ Stojanov, Krassimir (Hrsg.): Spannungsverhältnisse, Münster, S. 59-77.