The Journal of International Migration and Integration (JIMI) is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research papers and policy discussions that...
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 has triggered the largest refugee crisis in recent history, displacing over 6.3 million people globally. Among the countries providing refuge, Germany stands out as the host of the largest number of Ukrainian refugees, exceeding 1.2 million, while the United States has admitted approximately 500,000 Ukrainians. Despite their distinct migration systems and historical contexts, both nations have adapoted similar approaches in response to the sudden influx of Ukrainian refugees, offering them preferential treatment comparede to other migrant groups.
The United States, with its extensive history in refugee resettlement, has faced challenges in addressing inequities based on economic status, nationality, ethnicity, gender, and religion. The establishment of the Uniting for Ukraine program, building on the recent Afghan Refugee Resettlement Program, provides Ukrainians with temporary protected status, employment opportunities, and social services. Conversely, Germany has applied the EU-wide Temporary Protection Directive, granting Ukrainians unrestricted admission during times of crises and access to essential resources such as housing, welfare, and employment. This directive reflects Germany’s evolution from an immediate humanitarian response to a more comprehensive strategy for long-term integration of refugees into German society and the economy.
This special issue delves into the ramifications of these differing national migration histories and policies on the reception, integration, and return intentions of Ukrainian refugees. It explores how these policies are situated within broader contexts of historical and welfare frameworks in both countries and examines their links to existing diasporas, including earlier waves of post-Soviet migrants. While existing research on post-2022 Ukrainian refugees in Germany has focused on admission, return, and integration, it often overlooks connections to earlier post-Soviet migrants. In the U.S., discussions have predominantly highlighted the privileged treatment of Ukrainian refugees due to their racial identity, but there is a broader spectrum of issues related to segmented assimilation, racialization, and legal status that require attention.
This special issue contributes to several scholarly areas: 1) the impact of divergent migration policy regimes on refugee reception and integration; 2) the historical context of refugee policies that challenges the notion of Ukrainian exceptionalism; 3) the development of sustainable solutions beyond temporary protected status; and 4) the interactions between refugee and diaspora studies, examining how established diasporas in Germany and the U.S. support and evolve with new arrivals.
This special issue, originated in selected papers presented at an interdisciplinary workshop at the University of Passau in June 2024, funded by the Foundation on German-American Academic Relations, offers a transatlantic perspective on Ukrainian refugees, contributing to critical discussions in refugee studies and comparative migration research.
When this collection opens for submissions, you will be able to submit your manuscript through the participating journal.
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Grit Grigoleit-Richter, University of Passau, Germany
Grit Grigoleit-Richter, Dr., is a researcher and lecturer at the Professorship of American Studies/Cultural and Media Studies, University of Passau, Germany. Her research interests 9 encompass structural racism, critical race theory, intersectionality, diaspora, immigration, and the experiences of racialized minorities in the United States. Currently, she serves as the principal investigator for a comprehensive research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
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Claudia Sadowski-Smith, Arizona State University, USA
Claudia Sadowski-Smith is Professor of English and American Studies at Arizona State University. She is the author of The New Immigrant Whiteness: Neoliberalism, Race, and Post-Soviet Migration to the United States (New York University Press, 2018) and Border Fictions: Globalization, Empire, and Writing at the Boundaries of the United States (University of Virginia Press, 2008).