The Affective Dimension of Social Protection: A Case Study of Migrant-Led Organizations and Associations in Germany

Abstract

This article follows the recent ‘affective turn’ in social sciences and migration scholarship by analyzing the role of emotions in the handling of social risks by people with different migration biographies. The study is based on large-scale research with migrant organizations in Germany, which are important, though often neglected, sources of social protection, identity development, and community building. Interviews and egocentric network diagrams with people using services in various organizations demonstrate the impact of emotions on social protection practices. Contrasting these practices among adult movers, the German-born, and the 1.5 generation with different migration biographies, we shed light on the processual, material, and relational nature and the emotional dimensions of dealing with social risks. In doing so, this work aims to engage in discussions on emotions in migration and settlement processes and to increase the understanding of their impact on social protection.