The Pro-Plurality Movement in Germany - How Migrant Organisations and New German Organisations Claim the Vision of an Inclusive Post-Migrant Society

Abstract: Every third child in Germany has a migration background, which makes social negotiations on the participation of migrants and their descendants in this diverse society increasingly relevant. Therefore, the study examines how Migrant Organisations (MOs) and Post-Migrant Organisations (PMO) engage in contentious politics in the context of this increasing plurality. To do that, the already established social movement theory according to Tilly and Tarrow is linked to the emerging field of post-migrant societies according to Naika Foroutan, who applies the post-migrant frame as a theoretical and conceptual lens. The umbrella organisation Turkish Community in Germany, which initiated the first national conference of MOs and the post-migrant movement New German Organisations (NDO), which holds the biggest annual networking event for persons of color in Germany is the object of this empirical study. Utilising the theoretical framework, the study attempts to illuminate the underlying dynamics of how MOs and NDO build a social movement base, build alliances and engage in collective claim-making between 2016 and 2018. The main results of the thesis are that MOs and NDO in Germany form an alliance along the cleavage of plurality, which enhances the socio-political positioning of MOs and NDO. The pro-plurality movement has the potential to incorporate big parts of the civil society into the alliance and is positioned as a countermovement to anti-immigrant right-wing mobilisations in Germany. Their socio-political vision is argued through constitutive rights in a plural democracy promoting anti-discrimination, inclusivity, and social cohesion, rather than identity politics.