Abstract

This dissertation project examines integration processes of first- and second-generation migrant women from the Balkans in Austria and inquires how their expectations regarding the Austrian majority society differ in an intergenerational comparison. It focuses on the central presupposition that integration should not be understood solely as an external, structural process but also encompasses internal, emotional and identity-related negotiation processes. 

Based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines perspectives from cultural anthropology and the sociology of migration as well as feminist and intersectional perspectives, the project analyzes the interdependencies between contexts of origin, societal parameters and individual identity formation. Particular attention is paid thereby to the differences between first-generation migrant women, who migrated themselves, and second-generation migrant women, who were born or grew up in Austria, especially with regard to assimilation strategies, demands for recognition and societal participation. 

The project’s empirical basis consists of guided narrative interviews with a total of 16 women from both generations. The qualitative analysis aims to render generation-specific patterns, ambivalences and areas of tension visible. The project therefore contributes to a nuanced consideration of migrant women’s lived realities and challenges homogenizing integration discourses. 

Supervision: Assoz. Prof. Dr.phil. Mag. Judith Laister