Deutsche Migrationsbürokratie

Overview & Synopsis

Bureaucracy is neither neutral nor purely functional. It shapes realities, creates exclusions, and opens up new possibilities. At times, its actions have far-reaching consequences—both for the people affected and for the institutions themselves. The German migration bureaucracy, entrusted with the sensitive task of deciding on residency rights and citizenship, appears to be a particularly fruitful case for analyzing person-centered administration. It allows for conclusions to be drawn about general administrative practices and their social consequences. In her ethnological study, Anna Louban examines the sometimes contradictory, even absurd, practices of migration-related administration in Germany. Drawing on a praxeological approach and building on the work of Goffman and Foucault, she develops the concept of »migration-bureaucratic processing« to analytically capture the discursive and non-discursive practices of migration administration. The book provides a multifaceted, multi-perspective analysis of institutional logics, discretionary powers, negotiation processes, and the often unintended consequences of bureaucratic practice.