Research "DiasPro" develops research project on diaspora protest movements in Berlin

Berlin is a metropolis that is not only home to diverse diasporic communities, but also a space where civil society protest is articulated on a daily basis. Whether climate change, femicide, Black Lives Matter, poverty, pandemics, or protests against global authoritarian regimes - in Berlin, protest and solidarity are not only expressed on the streets, but also at diverse venues in the form of discussions, parties, conferences, and performances.

DiasPro takes these observations as a starting point to ask

1. how protests of the diaspora determine and move the urban society and
2. in which way Berlin as a diasporic metropolis creates the possibility to translate and network transnational protests.

Based on this, a comprehensive research project will be developed that, on the one hand, maps diasporic protest movements in Berlin and, on the other hand, makes the strategies and transnational connections of these movements visible. A particular focus will be placed on the interactions between the city and the protest movements. The project promises not only a deeper understanding of the role of the diaspora in Berlin, but also valuable insights into the dynamics of transnational protests and their impact on urban society. The development in the period October 2023 - March 2024 is supported by the IFAF EXPLORATIVE funding line of the Institute for Applied Research (IFAF).

Already in 2013 during the Gezi protests in Istanbul, it became clear that Berlin can be an important connection point for protests in the countries of origin of diasporic communities and migrant groups on the ground. For example, the Gezi protests led to the politicization of many young people of the second and third generation, who knew how to use Berlin as a location to demand democratic rights for the people in Istanbul. Something similar can currently be observed in the protests against the regime in Iran. At the same time, it is evident that diasporic groups are learning from each other in their forms of action: Iranian women's groups, for example, are adopting forms of action from Chilean and Argentinean feminists that have been popularized in Berlin by corresponding diasporic communities.

The project is being developed under the direction of Prof. Dr. María do Mar Castro Varela (ASH Berlin) together with the researchers Bahar Oghalai, MA and Verónica Orsi, MA.

About the IFAF EXPLORATIVE funding line

How can we respond to current challenges and processes of change in science, business and society in the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region? The funding line supports the IFAF universities in developing solutions. Funding is provided for an exploratory phase, limited in time and funding, to develop or deepen early-stage research approaches, possibly with an uncertain outcome. The outcome of this exploratory phase may be both the development or specification of a research question that will inform a research project proposal, or the determination that the approach being explored does not work.