On 30.11.2023, the TRAWOS Institute hosted the Chair of Human Geography at Chemnitz University of Technology. Professor Dr. Birgit Glorius and her research assistants Dr. Friederike Enßle-Reinhardt and Hanne Schneider presented their current research findings from the projects "WholeCOMM: Exploring the Integration of Post-2014-Migrants in Small and Medium-Sized Towns and Rural Areas from a Whole of Community Perspective (Horizon2020) " and "Future for Refugees in Rural Regions (Federal Rural Development Programme)" under the title "Refugees Welcome in Rural Areas?"

In recent years, the reception of more than two million refugees from countries of the Global South has also led to a visible increase in diversity in rural regions. Using comparative case study data, the Chair of Human Geography presented the specifics of rural regions and rural societies and showed how these specifics can affect the reception and participation of refugees.

In particular, we discussed how refugees are perceived by the rural population in comparison to other immigrant groups, what role civil society, tradition and associations (could) play, how new solidarities and transfers can be shaped and how regional and local differences in dealing with refugees can be explained.

We will also remain in dialog in the future about a possible East German specificity on this topic and the associated racist and right-wing populist demands for exclusion. A brief presentation of current research work at the TRAWOS Institute illustrated further diverse lines of connection to the main research areas of the Chair of Human Geography: migration/integration - participation - rural areas/regional development. To be continued...