Paper short abstract:

In my paper, first results of a field research in an emergency refugee shelter in Berlin, Germany, are presented.

Paper long abstract:

During their asylum procedures, refugees in Germany are given accommodation. However, there is a wide variety in the reality of housing: from gyms or containers over old military barracks to well-equipped houses or single apartments in conventional apartment houses. Due to the rising numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Germany, a lack of infrastructure and accommodation became obvious at the latest in 2015. Hundreds of emergency shelters were opened and several do still exist.

Refugee homes generate a specific social structure that has a deep impact on the refugees` identity and agency. For that reason, my research focuses on the subjective perspectives and experiences of refugees in regard to their housing situation. In this paper, I present the results of my first case study, an emergency shelter in a gym in Berlin, Germany. I will examine the impact of this specific type of accommodation on the residents` subjectivity and agency. Furthermore, ways of how the refugees try to regain agency are presented. The questions addressed are:

1.) Which specific space is constituted in the context of an emergency refugee accommodation?

2.) Which types of subjects are fostered in this certain arrangement of space?

3.) Production of agency:

• How does this specific constitution of space and subjectivity affect the agency of the residents?

• Which strategies do the refugees, employees of the refugee homes, volunteers and full-time supporters of the refugees carry out in order to expand their agency?

The analysis is based on participant observation and (group) interviews with refugees, employees of the refugee home, volunteers and full-time supporters.