Institutional Responses to Multiculturalism in the Work of the Amt Für Multikulturelle Angelegenheiten
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Networked Diversity and the Development of the ‘Frankfurt Model’: Institutional responses to multiculturalism in the work of the Amt für multikulturelle Angelegenheiten Joanna Cagney Royal Holloway University of London PhD Thesis 1 Declaration of Authorship I, Joanna Cagney, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: Date: Word Count: 85,358 2 Abstract Since the late 1980s, the local state in Frankfurt am Main in Germany has developed a distinctive and influential approach to the urban politics of migration and cultural difference. With the ability to build and coordinate elaborate networks, it cuts across the interests of the city’s super-diverse population. An early attempt to consolidate the work as a ‘Frankfurt model’ had limited success, yet the development of this model and how it might be adapted for the present-day is a central focus of this thesis, which uses the case study of Frankfurt to address broader debates about the status of multiculturalism and diversity policy in Western European societies. The thesis draws upon substantial embedded participatory and qualitative research in one of the main institutional components of the Frankfurt approach: the Amt für multikulturelle Angelegenheiten (Office of Multicultural Affairs / AmkA). The opening chapters outline the framework of networked diversity in response to Frankfurt’s super-diversity. These sections underpin the thesis in the context of more traditional debates about multiculturalism, migration and diversity management in Western Europe, focusing particularly on different national policy frameworks. The thesis then presents the distinctive characteristics of Frankfurt, possibly the most culturally diverse city in modern Germany. The history of the ‘Frankfurt model’ is then examined, with a focused analysis of the ‘Frankfurt Integration and Diversity Concept’ adopted in 2010. Three chapters based on intensive fieldwork explore: first, the everyday operation of diversity policy within AmkA; second, the interaction between the local state (AmkA) and civil society organisations; and third, the role of special events and symbolic politics in AmkA’s work. Through an assessment of AmkA’s success in operationalising networked diversity as a response to super-diversity, together with its implications for a re-thought ‘Frankfurt model’ in the light of recent political developments in Germany and beyond, the thesis contributes to wider conceptual debates about the supposed failure of multiculturalism as an institutional response. The thesis also makes a distinctive methodological contribution through its reflections on qualitative research in translation. 3 Contents Declaration of Authorship ............................................................................................ 2 Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 3 Contents ....................................................................................................................... 4 Acronyms ................................................................................................................... 10 List of figures ............................................................................................................. 11 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 1: Networking diversity in Frankfurt - an introduction ........................ 13 1.1 Diversity and the policy challenge ............................................................... 13 1.2 Developing a model response to diversity management .............................. 13 1.3 Networked approaches to super-diversity .................................................... 14 1.4 The work of AmkA – uses of symbolic politics .......................................... 16 1.5 Research questions ....................................................................................... 16 1.6 Thesis structure ............................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2:Understanding multicultural approaches to diversity management 22 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 22 2.1.1 Structure of the chapter .................................................................. 23 2.2 Problematising multiculturalism .................................................................. 25 2.2.1 Defining multiculturalism .............................................................. 25 2.2.2 Key approaches to ‘multiculturalism’ ............................................ 27 2.2.3 Inter-disciplinary engagement with multiculturalism – geography and beyond .............................................................................................. 29 2.3 Multiculturalism and national integration agendas ...................................... 32 2.3.1 The role of national models ............................................................ 32 2.3.2 The context for national models ..................................................... 33 4 2.3.3 Conceptualising national models – multiculturalism, assimilation and models of exclusion .......................................................................... 34 2.3.4 Towards a Europe-wide response to diversity? .............................. 36 2.3.5 The relevance of national models of integration ............................ 38 2.4 Understanding the backlash against multiculturalism.................................. 39 2.4.1 The context for retreat .................................................................... 40 2.4.2 The incompatibility of cultures – a shift from ethnicity to religion 40 2.4.3 Characterising the backlash ............................................................ 41 2.5 Alternatives to multiculturalism ................................................................... 44 2.5.1 The need for alternatives to multiculturalism ................................ 44 2.6 From super-diversity to networked diversity ............................................... 50 2.6.1 Super-diversity as a placeholder .................................................... 50 2.6.2. Towards network-based perspectives............................................ 51 2.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 3: Frankfurt am Main - the diverse city in a country without immigration .............................................................................................................. 54 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 54 3.2 Phases of migration to Germany since 1945 ................................................ 55 3.3 Researching Frankfurt .................................................................................. 57 3.4 Frankfurt in an era of super-diversity........................................................... 61 3.5 Constructing a German narrative of multiculturalism ................................. 62 3.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 4: Researching multicultural policy in Frankfurt ................................. 66 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 66 4.2 Frankfurt as a case study .............................................................................. 66 4.3 Research schedule ........................................................................................ 68 4.4 Addressing the research questions ............................................................... 69 4.4.1 Semi-structured interviews ............................................................. 71 4.4.2 Ethnographic observation and interviews ...................................... 71 5 4.4.3 Review of further literature ............................................................ 74 4.5 The challenges of conducting ethnographic research .................................. 75 4.5.1 Accessing participants .................................................................... 75 4.5.2 Scheduling and structuring interviews ........................................... 77 4.5.3 Ethical considerations .................................................................... 80 4.5.4 Positionality .................................................................................... 82 4.6 Approaches to data analysis ......................................................................... 84 4.6.1 Coding ............................................................................................ 84 4.6.2 Emerging narrative description ...................................................... 86 4.6.3 Mixing analytical approaches......................................................... 86 4.7 Language and translation in qualitative research ......................................... 87 4.7.1 The researcher as translator ............................................................ 88 4.7.2 Identifying acts of translation – the use of target language data in the thesis .................................................................................................. 89 4.8