About Help, Helpers and Helpers' Helpers - Volunteering for Refugees in Rural Areas

Since 2014, refugee migration has been an issue also in rural areas, and the war in Ukraine in 2022 has made it even more topical in Germany. The voluntary help that takes place in this context is of particular relevance, as it bridges a state gap and requires the selforganised engagement of local residents. Therefore, building on Gouldner's norms of interaction, this thesis research explores the role that reciprocity and beneficence play in rural support for refugees. Drawing on the community studies, I used qualitative interviews to explore how power relations and group configurations within a village structure this support as reciprocal or beneficent help. The dense village networks can generate help as people become helpers by assisting other local residents in helping. In addition, beneficent help takes place in direct and hierarchically structured relationships between local residents and newcomers. This can lead to access to resources, but also has problematic aspects due to the inherent arbitrariness of interpersonal dependency.