The Political Lives of Migrants:

The project “The Political Lives of Migrants: Perspectives from Africa” (PolMig) is funded by the European Research Council for five years between 2024-2029. It considers how migrants become politically active in the countries they now call their home, are transiting through or return to at the end of their migratory journey. The focus is on four countries in Africa – Malawi, Kenya, Liberia and Ghana – and the migratory trajectories, including refugees, within them. The project, headed by Franzisca Zanker as Principal Investigator, together with Jamila Hamidu, Edwin Mutyenyoka and Sophia Stille, aims to draw out the intricacies of political agency within postcolonial contexts. It does so using a range of qualitative research methods, from traditional ones like semi-structured interviews, to innovative ones like participatory theatre workshops.

The PolMig project is based at the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute at the University of Freiburg.

Read more about the research project, the team, and our research insights.

PolMig will develop a database of refugee and migrant rights, which will be available here.