In a slight variation on the sociology of walking, Prof. Dr. Behrensen uses the bicycle to explore spatial ways of thinking and living. In the tradition of understanding and phenomenological sociology, the aim is to gain a deeper understanding of power structures and power dynamics as well as agency in established-outsider figurations through spatial experiences and encounters.
The main focus in the research semester (winter semester 2024/25) - in connection with the current research project VASiB – is on questions of the arrival and stay of people seeking protection in rural and small-town areas of Brandenburg.
In terms of research methodology, following on from the idea of refugee research that reflects on inequality and inspired by the theory of double consciousness by sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois (1903), the cycle tours through Brandenburg focus on the following question:
"How does it feel for people seeking protection to make a home in rural and small-town areas of Brandenburg?"