Refugee struggles in Germany between universal and particular claims

Abstract

The authors analyze and compare the positioning of three migrant and refugee self-organizations: Women in Exile, Youth without Borders, and Lampedusa in Hamburg. They argue that even though their narratives and strategies are shaped by the pragmatic demands and competing particular claims of their specific groups, they also adhere to universal claims for the rights of all refugees and migrants. Examples are given for innovative political impulses by the examined refugee protests that call into question the legitimacy of the German-European migration regime and its system of stratified rights and legal statuses.