Over ten years ago, the Summer of Migration changed the lives of thousands of people (whether refugees or not) and shaped the debates on migration, borders and solidarity in Germany and Europe. Since then, border regimes have been in flux; spaces of freedom have been opened up and then restricted again; laws have been tightened; and borders have been subject to stricter controls. At the same time, there are initiatives all across Brandenburg that are fighting for freedom of movement and putting solidarity into practice. The website 2015remembered.org brings together various personal perspectives from Brandenburg on the ‘Summer of Migration’. On 28 May, we will bring migration research and initiatives from Brandenburg together in dialogue.

Migration scholar Bernd Kasparek (TU Delft) takes us on a journey through the last eleven years in Germany and Europe, from the spirit of optimism during the Summer of Migration to the tightening of asylum laws and the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). How did we end up with increasingly restrictive asylum policies, and what alternatives might there be?

In the second part, we’ll focus on Brandenburg: where do we stand today, more than a decade later? What steps, despite everything, bring us closer to a migration society based on solidarity in Brandenburg? Self-organisations of refugees, initiatives and projects in Brandenburg will report on current struggles, new projects and their view of the situation.

We invite anyone involved in asylum and the successful integration of new arrivals in Brandenburg (or beyond), whether through political, voluntary, academic or professional work.

This event is sponsored by: