Peace Logical (Migration) Research. A New Way of Looking at Migration...

In this paper, the perspectives of (Critical) Migration Research and (Critical)Peace and Conflict Research on migration are discussed, compared and combined with the goal of discussing the potentials and limitations of what I call ‘PeaceLogical (Migration) Research’. First of all, hegemonic discourses on (forced)migration (in German speaking countries) are problematized, as they either describe (forced) migration as a problem (of integration and/or of security) or as an economical resource that should be managed. Second of all, critical perspectives are taken into consideration, e.g. the concept of transnationalism that focuses on migrants’ transnational practices and networks and defines those as acts of resistance against restrictive (and often deadly) migration politics. Subsequently, the tendency of Peace and Conflict Research to mainly discuss migration either as a consequence of conflicts and/or a cause of conflicts is problematized as by doing so, migration appears to be mainly linked to conflicts. Taking into consideration Hanne Birckenbach’s deliberations on ‘Peace Logical protection of refugees’ on the one hand and Richard Jackson’s elaborations on the need of embracing conflicts and resistance in order to facilitate peace on the other hand, the concept of a (forced) migration research that is infused with Critical Peace and Conflict Research is presented. I argue that ‘Peace Logical (Migration) Research’ should e.g. explicitly aim at creating a more peaceful world and consciously seek for and explore examples of instances of peaceful conviviality.