Harald Bauder

Culture in the labor market: segmentation theory and perspectives of place

Labor market segmentation theory explains the economic marginalization of racial minorities, the working class and women. Economic geographers have contributed a perspective of spatial entrapment and spatially contingent job markets. In this article I emphasize supply-side processes and the role of these processes in labor market segmentation theory. In particular I focus on issues of cultural experience of place and cultural representation of place. I develop this argument by integrating two bodies of literature: (1) segmentation theory, in which the role of experience and representation of place remains undertheorized; and (2) cultural geography, in which such a conceptualization of place exists. The article follows a contemporary trend in human geography that links cultural with economic processes.

Domicile citizenship, human mobility and territoriality:

Formal citizenship often excludes migrants who were not born in the national territory in which they reside and/or were born to parents of foreign nationality. In this article, I explore how the domicile principle of citizenship can better accommodate migrants. Although this principle has a long history, it has only recently received significant attention among scholars. I examine the tensions between formal citizenship, mobility and territoriality, while developing a practical argument in support of domicile as an alternative configuration of territorial formal citizenship. Moreover, I highlight the capacity of domicile to include migrants at local and urban scales.

Toward a Critical Geography of the Border: Engaging the Dialectic of Practice and Meaning

Recent scholarship has pointed out the multidimensional character of national borders and the implausibility of the border as a single and coherent concept. In this article, I build on this scholarship as I discuss how geographers can critically engage in the dialectic of the border concept. To develop this argument, I review some of the existing literature on the concept of the border and cross-border migration and suggest that various material practices and meanings related to borders can be conceived of as “aspects” of the border concept. I argue that the impossibility of integrating these aspects into a coherent concept constitutes an important moment in the dialectic of the border. Critical geographers have an opportunity to engage with this border dialectic by offering meanings of borders that enable new possible border practices. I advocate a democratic aspect of the border concept decoupled from the state and implemented through a multitude of possible practices. I recognize that the consequences of such scholarly engagement in the border dialectic are not entirely foreseeable and therefore require continual reflection.

Immigration and Imagination of Nationhood in the German Parliament

Immigration policy and debate can reveal how a nation imagines itself. This study examines the dialectic between immigration and German nationhood in the context of the parliamentary debates between 2002 and 2006. Contents and discourse analyses of transcripts of the Bundestag were supplemented with interviews with policymakers. Our interpretation of the data reveals two distinct narratives: that Muslim immigration is a threat to the democratic order of the German state; and that immigration constitutes a utility serving economical and social objectives. European Union regulations, party politics, and the nature of parliamentary speech also play a role in framing parliamentary discourse of immigration and nationhood.

‘We are chameleons’: identity capital in a multicultural workplace

This exploratory research investigates ‘identity capital’ in a multicultural workplace environment. Guided by Pierre Bourdieus theoretical approach to capital and James Côtés concept of identity capital, we examine the strategic deployment of identity capital among adults in a multicultural immigrant-serving organization in Mississauga, serving the region of Peel, Ontario. The study involves 15 personal interviews with staff of this organization. The findings show that identity capital is deployed in social situations with clients, colleagues, and supervisor in the workplace. Moreover, the deployment of identity capital occurs through greetings, body language, finding connecting pieces, and methods of communication. Finally, the deployment of identity capital is strategic. The paper concludes that identity capital is a useful concept to explain the varied resources individuals have available to negotiate changing workplace environments.

Humanitarian immigration and German national identity in the media

Immigration can be an important component in the formation of national identity. I draw on Hegelian dialectics to interpret media debate of the recent German immigration law and the role of humanitarian immigration in constructing Germanys national identity. A discourse analysis examines 609 articles published in five daily newspapers between 2001 and 2005. The media represents the German state as safeguarding human rights and international law, but a truncated dialectical process fails to resolve the boundary between the national self and the refugee and asylum seeking Other.

Re-Imagining the Nation

In the context of immigration and settlement, Canada and Germany are often portrayed as opposites: Canada represents a settler society and Germany an ethnic nation. The different approaches and attitudes of the two countries towards immigration can be linked to different historical understandings of nationhood. Canada could not be imagined as a country without its immigrants; immigration is an integral aspect of national identity. Conversely, although Germany has always received immigrants, national identity has historically been conceived in ethnic terms. In this paper, I explore some of the contradictions in Canadian and German immigration debates related to national belonging. For example, Canada’s identity as a settler society has long marginalized Indigenous populations, while in German debate the narratives of ethnically-belonging Germans and newly-arriving migrants openly engage with each other. By exploring these contradictions, I develop a perspective of the dialectic of migration and ethnic belonging that can be applied to both Canada and Germany.

Lessons from Canada and Germany

There have been important similarities between Canada’s and Germany’s policies and approaches towards immigration and integration, ranging from practices of ethnic and racial exclusion in the f irst part of the last century to the subsequent development of both countries “into de-facto multicultural societies” (Triadafilopoulos, 2012: 2). However, because of signif icant differences in their historical contexts, as well as in the contemporary political and geographical circumstances that shape immigration and integration discourses and policies, considerable variations remain (Bauder, 2011). This special issue explores recent developments related to the immigration and integration experiences in both countries. Comparisons between Canada and Germany with respect to immigration and integration have become of increasing scholarly interest in recent years (e.g. Bauder, 2006b, 2008, 2011; Bendel and Kreienbrink, 2008; Reitz et al., 1999; Geiβler, 2003; Schmidtke, 2010; Schultze, 1994; Triadafilopoulos, 2004, 2006, 2012; Winter, 2007; ZWH, 20091). Apparently, comparisons of Canada and Germany have much to offer to migration research and policy making in that they “can de-center what is taken for granted” and thereby “challenge conventional wisdom” related to immigration and integration (Bloemraad, 2013: 29). Recent political developments made it necessary to update and expand the existing comparative literature. Canada’s immigration system is in the process of a signif icant overhaul. The Canadian government has lately COMPARATIVE MIGRATION STUDIES

From ‘dysfunctionality’ to solidarity

Neo-liberalism and deindustrialization have led to the increasing social and economic marginalization of large segments of the population. In this commentary, I examine which type of community-building practices may be necessary to engage this development. I also explore the role of culture, practices of distinction and solidarity in the process.

Immigrant workers in the immigrant service sector: segmentation and career mobility in Canada and Germany

The immigrant service sector in Canada is organized and structured differently than it is in Germany. In Canada, a firmly established immigrant service sector exists; in Germany many immigrant services are delivered by charitable and migrant organizations. In this paper, we explore a knowledge gap in the way these differences and pressures to cut costs affect the incorporation of immigrant workers in the immigrant service sector, the roles as works they perform in this sector, and how their career trajectories unfold. Our overarching thesis is that immigrants in Canada and Germany are playing key but variable roles in delivering support to other immigrants. We examine this thesis by drawing on interview data collected from key informants, which we complement with academic and gray literature. While immigrants are disproportionately employed in front-line work due to their skills, experiences, and cultural capital, their chances for career upward mobility are limited. Despite different systems for immigrant service delivery in Canada and Germany, there are striking structural similarities in both countries regarding labor segmentation.