IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joimai/v25y2024i4d10.1007_s12134-024-01159-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The CDU and the Leitkultur Debate: An Analysis of Angela Merkel’s Integration Discourse Before and After the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Natalia Bogado

    (Department of Social, Environmental and Economic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)

  • Tamara Wolf

    (Department of Social, Environmental and Economic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)

Abstract

In the late 1990s, the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) problematised culturally diverse immigration and asylum and emphasised the importance of cultural homogeneity for peaceful social coexistence. This position was embodied in the Leitkultur debate—a body of political and media discourses that emphasises the need for ethnic minorities to assimilate into the national culture to reduce intergroup distinctions. However, in 2015, the government led by CDU’s Angela Merkel opened Germany’s doors to over one million refugees (mainly from Syria). To what extent was this shift towards a liberal policy accompanied by a shift from assimilation to multicultural frames to discuss the issue of immigration and asylum? To answer this question, the authors used a corpus-driven mixed method of qualitative and quantitative discourse analyses to analyse and compare Merkel’s use of assimilation and multicultural frames in 14 discourses presented at the Integration Summits as transcribed in the Federal Government’s official website across two periods: from 2010 to 2014 (before the crisis) and 2015 to 2020 (after the crisis). This study revealed that, despite Germany’s generous response to the so-called ‘Syrian Refugee Crisis’, the problematisation of cultural diversity—crucial to the Leitkultur debate—is at the heart of Merkel’s integration discourse throughout the periods analysed.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Bogado & Tamara Wolf, 2024. "The CDU and the Leitkultur Debate: An Analysis of Angela Merkel’s Integration Discourse Before and After the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 2123-2141, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:25:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-024-01159-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-024-01159-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12134-024-01159-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12134-024-01159-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Algan, Yann & Bisin, Alberto & Manning, Alan & Verdier, Thierry (ed.), 2012. "Cultural Integration of Immigrants in Europe," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199660094.
    2. Alan E. Kessler & Gary P. Freeman, 2005. "Public Opinion in the EU on Immigration from Outside the Community," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 825-850, November.
    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11476 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bisin, Alberto & Verdier, Thierry, 2017. "Inequality, redistribution and cultural integration in the Welfare State," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 122-140.
    2. Gordon B Dahl & Christina Felfe & Paul Frijters & Helmut Rainer, 2022. "Caught between Cultures: Unintended Consequences of Improving Opportunity for Immigrant Girls," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(5), pages 2491-2528.
    3. Adda, Jérôme & Pinotti, Paolo & Tura, Giulia, 2020. "There's More to Marriage than Love: The Effect of Legal Status and Cultural Distance on Intermarriages and Separations," CEPR Discussion Papers 14432, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Prummer, Anja & Siedlarek, Jan-Peter, 2014. "Institutions And The Preservation Of Cultural Traits," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 470, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    5. Allan Puur & Leen Rahnu & Tiit Tammaru, 2023. "Neighbourhoods and Workplaces: Are They Related to the Fertility of Immigrants and Their Descendants? A Register-Based Study of Finland, 1999–2014," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 209-231, March.
    6. Eleftherios Giovanis & Sacit Hadi Akdede, 2021. "Integration Policies in Spain and Sweden: Do They Matter for Migrants’ Economic Integration and Socio-Cultural Participation?," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    7. Francesco Giavazzi & Ivan Petkov & Fabio Schiantarelli, 2019. "Culture: persistence and evolution," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 117-154, June.
    8. Catalina Amuedo‐Dorantes & Thitima Puttitanun, 2011. "Gender Differences In Native Preferences Toward Undocumented And Legal Immigration: Evidence From San Diego," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 29(1), pages 31-45, January.
    9. Bisin, Alberto & Tura, Giulia, 2019. "Marriage, Fertility, and Cultural Integration in Italy," CEPR Discussion Papers 14179, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Edward Anthony Koning & Neeraj Kaushal, 2024. "The Role of Politics in Public Views About Immigrants," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 2095-2122, December.
    11. Delaporte, Isaure, 2019. "The Effect of 9/11 on Immigrants' Ethnic Identity and Employment: Evidence from Germany," GLO Discussion Paper Series 353, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    12. Michaela Slotwinski & Alois Stutzer, 2019. "The deterrent effect of an anti-minaret vote on foreigners’ location choices," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 1043-1095, July.
    13. Rania Gihleb & Osea Giuntalla & Luca Stella, 2022. "Exposure to Past Immigration Waves and Attitudes toward Newcomers," CESifo Working Paper Series 9941, CESifo.
    14. Chassamboulli, Andri & Fontaine, Idriss & Gálvez-Iniesta, Ismael & Gomes, Pedro, 2024. "Immigration and labour market flows," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    15. Zhiling Wang & Thomas de Graaff & Peter Nijkamp, 2018. "Barriers of Culture, Networks, and Language in International Migration: A Review," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 5, pages 73-89.
    16. Sumit S. Deole, 2018. "Justice Delayed Is Assimilation Denied: Rightwing Terror, Fear and Social Assimilation of Turkish Immigrants in Germany," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1005, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    17. Arye L. Hillman & Ngo Long, 2022. "Immigrants as future voters," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 149-174, January.
    18. Floriana Cerniglia & Laura Pagani, 2010. "Does Political Knowledge Increase Support For Europe?A Cross Country Investigation Investigation of the Attitudes of European Citizens," Working Papers 198, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2010.
    19. Laura Bottazzi & Paolo Manasse & Sarah Grace See, 2017. "Better Wed Over the Mixen Than Over The Moon? Break-ups of Inter-ethnic Marriages in Italy," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 499, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    20. Klöble, Katrin, 2021. "A behavioural perspective on the drivers of migration: Studying economic and social preferences using the Gallup World Poll," IDOS Discussion Papers 4/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:25:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-024-01159-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.