Workshop: European and German Return and Deportation Policies - Research workshop on theoretical perspectives and research gaps
18. & 19.06.2026, Heyne-Haus, Papendiek 16, 37073 Göttingen
Deportations and return policies continue to fuel populist discussions and even authoritarian transformation processes in Germany and Europe. The most recent debates range from
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s racist statements about cityscapes, attempts at return
cooperation with authoritarian governments such as the Taliban or the new Syrian govern
ment, to the outsourcing of deportation prisons to so-called return hubs, as provided for in
the draft of the new EU Return Regulation.
Two years ago, we came together as researchers working on the topic of return and depor
tation policies to discuss our research behind and beyond the scenes of what was already a
populist public debate at the time. We founded a research network thereafter; research on
the topic was not yet particularly differentiated, and much of the newer research was still in
its infancy. At that time, we focused on institutions, spaces, and actors in the deportation
regime.
Two years later, we would like to meet again, first to ask what theoretical perspectives the
now more extensive research on German and European return and deportation policy has
produced so far, and second to highlight the gaps that still exist for further research.
Against the backdrop of the new wave of right-wing and authoritarian transformation pro
cesses in Europe, we want to consider what perspectives and what research are needed to
grasp these tendencies and counter them with democratic alternatives.
Through the workshop, we hope to expand the connections that have already been estab
lished and create new ones. We want to bring existing research into an interdisciplinary ex
change, review the more advanced research landscape, discuss approaches and perspec
tives together, and explore gaps for further research.
To this end, we would like to meet with you over two days exclusively in person in various
panels that focus in particular on theoretical perspectives on return and deportation. The
workshop will be held in both English and German.
The program can be found in german and english >here<.
You can register until 07.06.2026 by sending an E-Mail to peer.diercks@uni-goettingen.de.
The workshop is a organised by:
