We Too Were Refugees: Generational Divisions in Response to the Refugee Crisis in Germany

This paper examines the ways in which generational divides dictate responses to the refugee crisis in Germany, and is based on fieldwork conducted in Eisenhüttenstadt from 2014 to 2016. Originally called Stalinstadt and located on the border between Germany and Poland, Eisenhüttenstat was founded in 1950 as a socialist utopia. Today it suffers from deindustrialization and urban decay. When the refugee crisis in Germany escalated in 2015, many older residents insisted that the city had an obligation to take refugees in, having been founded on the socialist principle of solidarity with one’s fellow man. These residents often considered themselves refugees, having fled the advancing Red Army as children. Middle aged residents, for whom German reunification in 1989 resulted in joblessness and economic struggle, often expressed resentment. Why should they, German taxpayers, receive the same benefits as someone who had only recently arrived in the country? Younger residents, however, saw refugees as an opportunity to revitalize the city and were vocal about their hopefulness. The apartments that refugees rented would otherwise be vacant. And many refugees were parents with young children, something the city has been sorely lacking. I examine how individual attitudes towards national belonging--how individuals weathered German reunification, whether individuals consider themselves East German or simply German--influence reactions to the refugee crisis. The success or failure of government policies rests on the reception that refugees receive in their communities, and a better understanding of generation divisions can shed light on successful practices and policies.