Including Migrant Perspectives into Hegemonic Migration Narratives: The Case of Germany

Narratives are one of the most important indicators of public attitudes and behaviour in relation to migration. They are essential for understanding and interpreting complex migration realities and phenomena. However, the perspective of people with migration biographies are often neglected in existing narratives. This paper tackles this gap in the literature by answering the question of how to include migrant perspectives in hegemonic migration narratives. To address this question we have focused on the case of Germany and conducted focus groups with people with migration background. At the centre of the focus groups were the migrant perspectives, lifeworlds and experiences with the objective to jointly explore how migration could be told in a more differentiated and just way.