Identity & Belonging

December 4, 2016 0

Why Feminism and Hijab Go Together

As Muslim refugees who choose to wear hijab become a lasting part of the societies of those European states that have taken them in, their right to be different must be defended. Most importantly, we must defend the right of women to choose. It is this choice that makes women free. This is why feminism and hijab go together. [Read More!]
May 31, 2016 3

Women Only: The Frauenraum

I'm at Rathaus Wilmersdorf, a former city hall building turned refugee home in Berlin, where I teach a literacy class once a week. The home initially opened its doors to 178 refugees in September 2015, following Merkel's famous "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do it") declaration that sidestepped the Dublin Regulation and opened up Germany's borders to thousands of asylum seekers. [Read More!]
women refugees Germany Cologne
February 8, 2016 0

“Not our Women” after Cologne

Sounding like the crescendo long-awaited by right-wing populists, the attacks on New Year's Eve in Cologne occurred. "Will they treat our women well? Will they know how to speak to and appreciate our women?" a Cologne politician asked on national German public radio in the days following the attacks. It is no slip of the tongue that a possessive article precedes "women". Belonging to a place can quickly devolve into sentiments of ownership, as well as xenophobia. [Read More!]
Donald Trump immigration
September 28, 2015 1

Moralpolitik and the Ressentiments of Change

According to headlines, the German government has pledged haven – albeit temporary in many cases – to up to 800,000 refugees or migrants applying for asylum in the country. The U.S., despite initial wavering, has signaled that it will work to raise its refugee quota yearly, with the goal of a 100,000 cap by 2017. Yet within and around this historical moment of humanitarian crisis and measured political response are the inflammatory words of Donald Trump. He recently roared to a crowd in Iowa that, if elected, he “will deport all of the 11 million illegal migrants in this country.” [Read More!]
July 3, 2015 1

Interview: “I’m a Human Being”

Vienna. Seat of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Widely considered the gateway to Eastern Europe. Home to a United Nations headquarters and numerous international companies and universities. The Austrian capital has long been a city of immigration – even when politics have told a different story – and a staggering 50% of the population has what’s referred to as a “migration background”. So it’s not as if I expected Vienna to not be multicultural... [Read More!]
March 23, 2015 0

Lens: On Leaving Home(s)

Last month, Kelly wrote about the implications of "collecting ourselves" to make a move back home. While wrought with complications in its own right, returning to where one grew up, has family, or holds full political and legal rights is a move that Makes Sense. One chapter closes, and however painful or messy, the next begins... [Read More!]
February 13, 2015 0

Lens: Leaving Berlin, collecting ourselves

Leaving Berlin might mean losing some connection to the tangible trek between dreams, realizations, and moments of vulnerability that is our movement through years, our aging and maturation, in any sense. But it is only temporary. Indeed, collecting ourselves means leaving ourselves. But only for now... [Read More!]
January 15, 2015 1

Interview: “I’m not Turkish, but my husband is”

In a capital city marked by transformation and transience, where people are perpetually coming and going, it can feel like a true rarity to meet someone actually from that city. “H” was my first Berlin friend from Berlin. We met through a language website, after she sent me a request to practice French in exchange for German. H was working on her degree to become a French teacher. I was still new to the city and could count my local friends on one hand... [Read More!]
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