Migration as co-creation - A positive force for open societies
We Are All Migrants
We are all migrants, in one way or another. Sociologist Hein de Haas defines migration as living six months or more away from your birthplace. Studying in another city already qualifies. Yet political debate often reduces migration to asylum and perceived threats.
It is time to rethink this perspective. Humanity has always survived through adaptability, not strength alone. Cultural adaptation is essential: migrants adopt local habits, while residents integrate new ideas. Culture thrives when it is allowed to mix. As Aladin El-Mafaalani argues, such paradoxes lie at the core of successful integration.
Learning in International Groups
How can these insights shape teaching? International groups, even over short periods, mirror integration processes. Students bring diverse backgrounds and experiences, often including personal migration stories, which makes groups even more vibrant. This diversity fosters creativity and opens space for innovative teaching.
That was the aim of two seminars at Blumenfeld Castle, a Renaissance site near Lake Constance, now developed as a “Zukunftsherberge” (residence for the future). Living, working, and cooking together in this secluded environment created intense group dynamics and a strong sense of community.
Dancing Democracy
In the first seminar, we linked cultural sociology with flamenco. Dance became part of reasoning, challenging the academic tradition of separating reflection from the body. A free body can support free thinking.
Flamenco itself is rooted in migration: its origins reach back to India and evolved over centuries before becoming part of 18th-century Seville. An Indian student was moved to recognise elements of temple dance within flamenco. The seminar concluded with a Flamenco Fiesta involving professional musicians, dancer La Mona, and sociologist Silvana Figueroa-Dreher.
The Apple as Migrant
The second seminar, “The apple is a migrant, too. Performing objects and moving stories”, connected cultural studies with puppetry, co-taught with puppeteer Martina Hering. The apple symbolises migration: domesticated 7000 years ago in the Tien Shan mountains, it spread worldwide while preserving genetic diversity.
In the Lake Constance region, apples are seen as “home” – yet they remain migrants at heart. Using paper as material, students created stories with objects. The course ended with a puppetry performance, a scroll theatre documenting the week, and the planting of an apple tree, now part of the castle’s landscape.
Further Information
- Dancing Democracy on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaLeq2-d-Aw
- Online article on "The apple is a migrant, too" (in German language): https://www.seemoz.de/auch-der-apfel-ist-ein-migrant/
Contact
For more information, feel free to reach out to Dr. Albert Kümmel-Schnur.
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