Tabea Scharrer
Biographic Data
| ID | 122408 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tabea Scharrer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tabea |
| FAMILY NAME | Scharrer |
| SIGNATURE | SCHARRER T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5640-116X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 88 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 5 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Critical transitions in migration studies: Comparative Migration Studies’ 10thanniversary issue
In the past decade, dynamic geopolitical events have led to major migration movements worldwide.The launching of Comparative Migration Studies (CMS) in 2013 to promote comparative research in the field of migration studies (Saharso and Scholten, 2013) coincided with some of these major migration developments.The journal emerged at a time when the field was undergoing rapid transformation, incorporating newer methods, geographies and theories to s…
Contested future-making in containment: Temporalities, infrastructures and agency
Containment, as a way of restricting mobilities, ranges from physical infrastructures to diffused control practices in everyday life. Alongside their physical, social, and political dimensions, such restrictions also engender various temporal borders and experiences of time particular to situations of containment. A prolific field of research has identified waiting and hope as strategies for both enforcing and surpassing containment. In response,…
Buchvorstellung ›Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung. Ein Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium‹
Im Juni 2023 erschien im Nomos-Verlag das erste deutschsprachige Handbuch der Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung, herausgegeben von Tabea Scharrer, Birgit Glorius, J. Olaf Kleist und Marcel Berlinghoff. In über 100 Begriffskapitel werden wichtige Themen und Begriffe aus dem Feld der Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung kurz und prägnant für eine breite Leser*innenschaft aufbereitet und Hinweise zur vertiefenden Lektüre geboten. In diesem Beitrag erläut…
Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung: Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium
Research on flight and refugees has been experiencing a boom in the German-speaking regions since about 2015. This handbook opens up the field in all its breadth and at the same time critically reflects the state of research. Part I of the volume discusses on a theoretical level the historical development of the field, its (trans-)disciplinary approaches, and questions of research ethics. Part II offers a discussion of important core terms and co…
Beyond ‘race’: A rejoinder
In this rejoinder we argue, based on the papers of this commentary series, that ‘race’ is such a tricky notion because it can be used in (at least) two very different and contradictory ways—as a concept to disentangle racism and racialisation (what M’charek calls the ‘work race actually does’) and as a way of categorization and social classification, in which case it might create the very essentialised hierarchies ‘race’ as a critical concept tri…
Of Mukhalas and Magafe: Somali Migrants Navigating the Dangers of Ransom Smuggling in Northern Africa
In the late 2000s, after the implementation of European policies to prevent and criminalize irregular migration, a new form of human smuggling—ransom smuggling—appeared in North Africa. This article is an analysis of ransom smuggling of Somali migrants, based on anthropological fieldwork in Germany and Kenya. Ransom smuggling is dangerous and complex, involving both human smugglers and hostage takers, but I argue that Somali migrants—especially y…
Beyond race
While at the moment the world seems to be divided along racial lines and ‘race’ appears to be a central axe of social inclusion and exclusion, in this article we ask whether it is thinkable to go ‘beyond race’. We want to explore the idea of going ‘beyond race’ in four different ways: (1) ‘Beyond race’ as a demographic reality when people of mixed origin form the majority of population; (2) ‘Beyond race’ in regard to policies that aim at combatti…
Creating an atmosphere of intellectual superiority: Islamic missionary work in Kenya as staged competition in a climate of religious diversity
This article deals with a very visible form of Islamic missionary work in Kenya: the public comparison of the Bible and the Qur’an. The argumentative structure of these public debates share many similarities with highly standardised narratives about becoming Muslim in the East African region, told by both converts and non-converts. I argue that these public debates (mihadhara), organised by groups following the ideas of the South African Ahmed De…
Negotiating class positions in proximate places of refuge: Syrians in Egypt and Somalians in Kenya
Drawing on ethnographic research with Syrians in Egypt and with Somalis in Kenya, we argue that forced migrants who are able to choose their migration trajectory might opt for places of refuge in vicinity. We show that in these contexts it is easier for some forced migrants to preserve their socio-economic status. We introduce the term proximate places of refuge to highlight that not only geographical aspects matter for these considerations, but …
Spatial and social im/mobility in forced migration: Revisiting Class
This editorial makes the case for revisiting class in the context of forced migration. We argue that this is necessary to better grasp the inherent diversity of forced migrants. Forced-migration research has increasingly considered aspects of differentiation, such as race or gender. Yet, scholarly work on social class in this field remains scarce. We argue that forced migrants are wrongly homogenised as ‘poor’ or ‘class-less’, and show how class-…
Sarah Hillewaert, Morality at the Margins: Youth, Language, and Islam in Coastal Kenya
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
It Is Better to Do Business in Africa than in Europe” – Socio-Economic Positionings among Business-Minded European Somalis Moving to Kenya
Using the example of European Somalis moving to Kenya, this article argues that although these middle class return migrants share many similarities, they also differ in significant ways. Focusing on economically independent migrants, this paper will show that their move to Kenya is both return and onward migration at the same time. The transnational socio-economic positioning of Somali returnees in Kenya, this article demonstrates, rests on the i…
Mobile Urbanity
The increased presence of Somalis has brought much change to East African towns and cities in recent decades, change that has met with ambivalence and suspicion, especially within Kenya. This volume demystifies Somali residence and mobility in urban East Africa, showing its historical depth, and exploring the social, cultural and political underpinnings of Somali-led urban transformation. In so doing, it offers a vivid case study of the transform…
Reinventing Retail ‘Somali’: Shopping Centres in Kenya
Mobile Urbanity: Somali Presence in Urban East Africa
The increased presence of Somalis has brought much change to East African towns and cities in recent decades, change that has met with ambivalence and suspicion, especially within Kenya. This volume demystifies Somali residence and mobility in urban East Africa, showing its historical depth, and exploring the social, cultural and political underpinnings of Somali-led urban transformation. In so doing, it offers a vivid case study of the transform…
Mobile Urbanity: Somali Presence in Urban East Africa
Middle Classes in Africa
Ambiguous citizens: Kenyan Somalis and the question of belonging
This paper deals with the way a "politics of belonging" has been enacted in recent years in Kenya, and what this means for the Somali population of the country. Even though Kenyan Somalis have been treated as "ambiguous citizens" since independence, the question for many of them is not so much if they belong to Kenya, but rather how. In the multi-ethnic state of Kenya, there are other groups as well who are "ambiguous citizens" – including Asians…
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Kenya. A Social History of the Shifta Conflict, c. 1963–1968, written by Hannah Whittaker
Narrative islamischer Konversion: Biographische Erzählungen konvertierter Muslime in Ostafrika
Warum konvertieren in Ostafrika Menschen zum Islam? Die Untersuchung zeigt den Einfluss der dortigen islamischen Missionsbewegung auf und verortet individuelle Glaubensentscheidungen im spezifischen Kontext des multireligiösen Ostafrika
Konversion in Ostafrika im Spannungsfeld zwischen islamischer und christlicher Mission
Spatial and social im/mobility in forced migration: Revisiting Class
This editorial makes the case for revisiting class in the context of forced migration. We argue that this is necessary to better grasp the inherent diversity of forced migrants. Forced-migration research has increasingly considered aspects of differentiation, such as race or gender. Yet, scholarly work on social class in this field remains scarce. We argue that forced migrants are wrongly homogenised as ‘poor’ or ‘class-less’, and show how class-…
Ambiguous citizens: Kenyan Somalis and the question of belonging
This paper deals with the way a "politics of belonging" has been enacted in recent years in Kenya, and what this means for the Somali population of the country. Even though Kenyan Somalis have been treated as "ambiguous citizens" since independence, the question for many of them is not so much if they belong to Kenya, but rather how. In the multi-ethnic state of Kenya, there are other groups as well who are "ambiguous citizens" – including Asians…
Negotiating class positions in proximate places of refuge: Syrians in Egypt and Somalians in Kenya
Drawing on ethnographic research with Syrians in Egypt and with Somalis in Kenya, we argue that forced migrants who are able to choose their migration trajectory might opt for places of refuge in vicinity. We show that in these contexts it is easier for some forced migrants to preserve their socio-economic status. We introduce the term proximate places of refuge to highlight that not only geographical aspects matter for these considerations, but …
It Is Better to Do Business in Africa than in Europe” – Socio-Economic Positionings among Business-Minded European Somalis Moving to Kenya
Using the example of European Somalis moving to Kenya, this article argues that although these middle class return migrants share many similarities, they also differ in significant ways. Focusing on economically independent migrants, this paper will show that their move to Kenya is both return and onward migration at the same time. The transnational socio-economic positioning of Somali returnees in Kenya, this article demonstrates, rests on the i…
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
Beyond race
While at the moment the world seems to be divided along racial lines and ‘race’ appears to be a central axe of social inclusion and exclusion, in this article we ask whether it is thinkable to go ‘beyond race’. We want to explore the idea of going ‘beyond race’ in four different ways: (1) ‘Beyond race’ as a demographic reality when people of mixed origin form the majority of population; (2) ‘Beyond race’ in regard to policies that aim at combatti…
Contested future-making in containment: Temporalities, infrastructures and agency
Containment, as a way of restricting mobilities, ranges from physical infrastructures to diffused control practices in everyday life. Alongside their physical, social, and political dimensions, such restrictions also engender various temporal borders and experiences of time particular to situations of containment. A prolific field of research has identified waiting and hope as strategies for both enforcing and surpassing containment. In response,…
Beyond ‘race’: A rejoinder
In this rejoinder we argue, based on the papers of this commentary series, that ‘race’ is such a tricky notion because it can be used in (at least) two very different and contradictory ways—as a concept to disentangle racism and racialisation (what M’charek calls the ‘work race actually does’) and as a way of categorization and social classification, in which case it might create the very essentialised hierarchies ‘race’ as a critical concept tri…
Creating an atmosphere of intellectual superiority: Islamic missionary work in Kenya as staged competition in a climate of religious diversity
This article deals with a very visible form of Islamic missionary work in Kenya: the public comparison of the Bible and the Qur’an. The argumentative structure of these public debates share many similarities with highly standardised narratives about becoming Muslim in the East African region, told by both converts and non-converts. I argue that these public debates (mihadhara), organised by groups following the ideas of the South African Ahmed De…
Konversion in Ostafrika im Spannungsfeld zwischen islamischer und christlicher Mission
Konversion in Ostafrika im Spannungsfeld zwischen islamischer und christlicher Mission
Narrative islamischer Konversion: Biographische Erzählungen konvertierter Muslime in Ostafrika
Warum konvertieren in Ostafrika Menschen zum Islam? Die Untersuchung zeigt den Einfluss der dortigen islamischen Missionsbewegung auf und verortet individuelle Glaubensentscheidungen im spezifischen Kontext des multireligiösen Ostafrika
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Kenya. A Social History of the Shifta Conflict, c. 1963–1968, written by Hannah Whittaker
Middle Classes in Africa
Ambiguous citizens: Kenyan Somalis and the question of belonging
This paper deals with the way a "politics of belonging" has been enacted in recent years in Kenya, and what this means for the Somali population of the country. Even though Kenyan Somalis have been treated as "ambiguous citizens" since independence, the question for many of them is not so much if they belong to Kenya, but rather how. In the multi-ethnic state of Kenya, there are other groups as well who are "ambiguous citizens" – including Asians…
Mobile Urbanity
The increased presence of Somalis has brought much change to East African towns and cities in recent decades, change that has met with ambivalence and suspicion, especially within Kenya. This volume demystifies Somali residence and mobility in urban East Africa, showing its historical depth, and exploring the social, cultural and political underpinnings of Somali-led urban transformation. In so doing, it offers a vivid case study of the transform…
Reinventing Retail ‘Somali’: Shopping Centres in Kenya
Mobile Urbanity: Somali Presence in Urban East Africa
The increased presence of Somalis has brought much change to East African towns and cities in recent decades, change that has met with ambivalence and suspicion, especially within Kenya. This volume demystifies Somali residence and mobility in urban East Africa, showing its historical depth, and exploring the social, cultural and political underpinnings of Somali-led urban transformation. In so doing, it offers a vivid case study of the transform…
Mobile Urbanity: Somali Presence in Urban East Africa
It Is Better to Do Business in Africa than in Europe” – Socio-Economic Positionings among Business-Minded European Somalis Moving to Kenya
Using the example of European Somalis moving to Kenya, this article argues that although these middle class return migrants share many similarities, they also differ in significant ways. Focusing on economically independent migrants, this paper will show that their move to Kenya is both return and onward migration at the same time. The transnational socio-economic positioning of Somali returnees in Kenya, this article demonstrates, rests on the i…
Sarah Hillewaert, Morality at the Margins: Youth, Language, and Islam in Coastal Kenya
Balancing inclusion and exclusion among Somali migrants in Germany
We discuss the balancing acts of inclusion and exclusion by analysing how Somali migrants in Germany attempt to manoeuvre between various norms, individual interests and various social networks. Building on Glick Schiller and Caglar (2016), whose work on urban sociabilities emphasizes social relations in which people act as equals, we argue that ethnic (self‐)identification is important as it serves as a basis for boundary‐making and for bonding …
Beyond race
While at the moment the world seems to be divided along racial lines and ‘race’ appears to be a central axe of social inclusion and exclusion, in this article we ask whether it is thinkable to go ‘beyond race’. We want to explore the idea of going ‘beyond race’ in four different ways: (1) ‘Beyond race’ as a demographic reality when people of mixed origin form the majority of population; (2) ‘Beyond race’ in regard to policies that aim at combatti…
Creating an atmosphere of intellectual superiority: Islamic missionary work in Kenya as staged competition in a climate of religious diversity
This article deals with a very visible form of Islamic missionary work in Kenya: the public comparison of the Bible and the Qur’an. The argumentative structure of these public debates share many similarities with highly standardised narratives about becoming Muslim in the East African region, told by both converts and non-converts. I argue that these public debates (mihadhara), organised by groups following the ideas of the South African Ahmed De…
Negotiating class positions in proximate places of refuge: Syrians in Egypt and Somalians in Kenya
Drawing on ethnographic research with Syrians in Egypt and with Somalis in Kenya, we argue that forced migrants who are able to choose their migration trajectory might opt for places of refuge in vicinity. We show that in these contexts it is easier for some forced migrants to preserve their socio-economic status. We introduce the term proximate places of refuge to highlight that not only geographical aspects matter for these considerations, but …
Spatial and social im/mobility in forced migration: Revisiting Class
This editorial makes the case for revisiting class in the context of forced migration. We argue that this is necessary to better grasp the inherent diversity of forced migrants. Forced-migration research has increasingly considered aspects of differentiation, such as race or gender. Yet, scholarly work on social class in this field remains scarce. We argue that forced migrants are wrongly homogenised as ‘poor’ or ‘class-less’, and show how class-…
Buchvorstellung ›Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung. Ein Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium‹
Im Juni 2023 erschien im Nomos-Verlag das erste deutschsprachige Handbuch der Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung, herausgegeben von Tabea Scharrer, Birgit Glorius, J. Olaf Kleist und Marcel Berlinghoff. In über 100 Begriffskapitel werden wichtige Themen und Begriffe aus dem Feld der Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung kurz und prägnant für eine breite Leser*innenschaft aufbereitet und Hinweise zur vertiefenden Lektüre geboten. In diesem Beitrag erläut…
Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung: Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium
Research on flight and refugees has been experiencing a boom in the German-speaking regions since about 2015. This handbook opens up the field in all its breadth and at the same time critically reflects the state of research. Part I of the volume discusses on a theoretical level the historical development of the field, its (trans-)disciplinary approaches, and questions of research ethics. Part II offers a discussion of important core terms and co…
Beyond ‘race’: A rejoinder
In this rejoinder we argue, based on the papers of this commentary series, that ‘race’ is such a tricky notion because it can be used in (at least) two very different and contradictory ways—as a concept to disentangle racism and racialisation (what M’charek calls the ‘work race actually does’) and as a way of categorization and social classification, in which case it might create the very essentialised hierarchies ‘race’ as a critical concept tri…
Of Mukhalas and Magafe: Somali Migrants Navigating the Dangers of Ransom Smuggling in Northern Africa
In the late 2000s, after the implementation of European policies to prevent and criminalize irregular migration, a new form of human smuggling—ransom smuggling—appeared in North Africa. This article is an analysis of ransom smuggling of Somali migrants, based on anthropological fieldwork in Germany and Kenya. Ransom smuggling is dangerous and complex, involving both human smugglers and hostage takers, but I argue that Somali migrants—especially y…
Contested future-making in containment: Temporalities, infrastructures and agency
Containment, as a way of restricting mobilities, ranges from physical infrastructures to diffused control practices in everyday life. Alongside their physical, social, and political dimensions, such restrictions also engender various temporal borders and experiences of time particular to situations of containment. A prolific field of research has identified waiting and hope as strategies for both enforcing and surpassing containment. In response,…
Critical transitions in migration studies: Comparative Migration Studies’ 10thanniversary issue
In the past decade, dynamic geopolitical events have led to major migration movements worldwide.The launching of Comparative Migration Studies (CMS) in 2013 to promote comparative research in the field of migration studies (Saharso and Scholten, 2013) coincided with some of these major migration developments.The journal emerged at a time when the field was undergoing rapid transformation, incorporating newer methods, geographies and theories to s…
Political science (14 works) · Law (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Gender Studies (8 works) · Law (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Geography (7 works) · Anthropology (6 works) · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity (6 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (6 works)