Effect of Syrian Refugees on Germany’s Cultural Norms and National Identity

Overview Global migration yields demographic shifts of historical significance—as shown by the “refugee crisis” in Europe, the rise of White nationalism in the United States, and the spread of populism in the West. Migration is one of the defining issues of the 21st century, challenging the fabric of societies, remodeling the essence of sovereignty, and changing the way we think of borders and boundaries. The course contains three parts. The first part examines the causes of migration and the transformations it is undergoing; topics include global migration governance, immigration and populism, refugee rights and state sovereignty, and the ethics of borders.The second part analyzes contemporary debates in a theoretical and comparative perspective: topics include admission and discrimination, integration and identity, naturalization and citizen-making, dual nationality, EU citizenship, loyalty and patriotism, birthright citizenship, citizenship revocation, and “citizenship for sale.” The third part explores how emerging technologies reshape the concepts of migration and citizenship: should migrants be selected by AI and machine learning? Can Blockchain technologies lead to the creation of digital identity and global citizenship? Is citizenship becoming cybernetic? And how can predictive technologies affect global migration?