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Paper short abstract

Based on ethnographic research, this contribution examines migration and rural belonging, complicating the distinction between nativism and cosmopolitanism in everyday boundary-drawing in villages east and west of the former inner-German border.

Paper long abstract

Based on an ethnographic study in four villages along the former inner-German border, this article examines patterns of migration and social boundary-drawing processes through which rural belonging is negotiated. Following German reunification, these villages—often framed as marginalized places “that don’t matter”—experienced both outmigration and diverse forms of in-migration.

The article asks which social distinctions currently structure everyday life in these villages and analyses the moral orders underpinning practices of inclusion and exclusion. It approaches nativism and cosmopolitanism not as opposing positions, but as relational and situational logics of belonging. I argue that in villages west of the former border, historically rooted distinctions between long-established residents and newcomers remain central, while “East” and “West” have largely lost their relevance as categories. Since the 1990s, newcomers from urban backgrounds seeking to realise alternative lifestyles can be understood as engaging in forms of everyday cosmopolitanism that partly clash with established village norms, producing experiences of non-acceptance. Other newcomers, including those with an East German background, become recognised as local bridge figures through sustained engagement.

In villages east of the former border, in-migration remains more limited and access to housing is largely reserved for local families, including returnees. While East–West distinctions remain more pronounced, locally grounded forms of nativism coexist with integrative practices, enabling newcomers to become part of village life when they adhere to established communal rules. Across both contexts, the article shows how nativism and cosmopolitanism shape the multipolar politics of rural belonging in contemporary Germany.