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The CDU and the Leitkultur Debate: An Analysis of Angela Merkel’s Integration Discourse Before and After the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Natalia Bogado

    (Department of Social, Environmental and Economic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)

  • Tamara Wolf

    (Department of Social, Environmental and Economic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)

Abstract

In the late 1990s, the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) problematised culturally diverse immigration and asylum and emphasised the importance of cultural homogeneity for peaceful social coexistence. This position was embodied in the Leitkultur debate—a body of political and media discourses that emphasises the need for ethnic minorities to assimilate into the national culture to reduce intergroup distinctions. However, in 2015, the government led by CDU’s Angela Merkel opened Germany’s doors to over one million refugees (mainly from Syria). To what extent was this shift towards a liberal policy accompanied by a shift from assimilation to multicultural frames to discuss the issue of immigration and asylum? To answer this question, the authors used a corpus-driven mixed method of qualitative and quantitative discourse analyses to analyse and compare Merkel’s use of assimilation and multicultural frames in 14 discourses presented at the Integration Summits as transcribed in the Federal Government’s official website across two periods: from 2010 to 2014 (before the crisis) and 2015 to 2020 (after the crisis). This study revealed that, despite Germany’s generous response to the so-called ‘Syrian Refugee Crisis’, the problematisation of cultural diversity—crucial to the Leitkultur debate—is at the heart of Merkel’s integration discourse throughout the periods analysed.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Bogado & Tamara Wolf, 2024. "The CDU and the Leitkultur Debate: An Analysis of Angela Merkel’s Integration Discourse Before and After the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 2123-2141, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:25:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-024-01159-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-024-01159-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alan E. Kessler & Gary P. Freeman, 2005. "Public Opinion in the EU on Immigration from Outside the Community," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 825-850, November.
    2. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11476 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Algan, Yann & Bisin, Alberto & Manning, Alan & Verdier, Thierry (ed.), 2012. "Cultural Integration of Immigrants in Europe," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199660094, Decembrie.
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