Acknowledgements

Concepts in the study of culture provide a common ground for transdisciplinary and transnational research. But the work of concepts extends well beyond scholarly discussions. In the case of migration, it becomes especially evident that a concept can hold social and political power outside the academic realm – as a “cultural force” of its own and a “site of debate” (Mieke Bal). Applying a concept-based research approach to the study of culture in general and to the study of migration in particular, this volume explores changing concepts and critical approaches while attending to the important role of conceptual assumptions in academic research, political discourse, and people’s personal experiences.

Some of the contributions originate from an international lecture series on migration, which we held at the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) at Justus Liebig University Giessen during the summer semester of 2015. Little did we know at the time that the topic would gain such relevance and political force in the months to follow. It made the discussion of nuanced and critical concepts in dealing with our topic all the more necessary.

In addition to the presenters of the 2015 lecture series (Bachmann-Medick, Eigler, Gutiérrez Rodríguez, Konuk), we invited experts from the fields of cultural anthropology/sociology (Bischoff, Friese, Greschke, Hess, Karagiannis, Randeria, Schiffauer), Literary Studies (Payne), migration and education (Mecheril), and cultural history (Kansteiner) to contribute to this volume. We would like to thank all of these scholars for sharing their research as well as for their cooperative spirit.

We would not have met the deadline for submission without the valuable help of our colleague and PhD candidate, Simon Ottersbach, and our student assistant, Franziska Eick (both at the GCSC). We very much appreciate their support in formatting and typesetting the manuscript. Anne Wheeler and Marie Schlingmann were a tremendous help as English language proofreaders of the manuscript. Finally, our thanks go to De Gruyter, in particular Manuela Gerlof and Stella Diedrich, for seeing the project swiftly through the publication process; to the series editors for their support of the project; and last but not least to the GCSC not only for generously supporting the publication of this volume but also for providing the intellectually stimulating environment that has been most fruitful for this endeavor.

Giessen, June 2018
Doris Bachmann-Medick and Jens Kugele