"When doing their research, the students concentrated on the living conditions and everyday life of refugee women in Berlin refugee camps and urban centers because this perspective has been largely ignored in the public and political discourse," said Prof. Hansjörg Dilger from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin. During the winter of 2015/16, the students interviewed more than 80 women from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Albania, and other countries with regard to their personal and cultural backgrounds, and their social interactions and support networks in Berlin. Other research topics included the experiences of women with health care, legal-administrative conditions in the camps and urban centers, and their impressions of life in Berlin. A particular focus was placed on suggestions and expectations that the women formulated in terms of improving their current situation and their perspective on living in Germany.

As part of the book presentation, students from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology will describe their research findings. In addition, they will discuss, along with faculty from the institute and representatives of International Women Space, the possibilities and limits of university teaching and research projects as well as cooperation between activists and researchers in the context of fleeing their homelands and forced migration.