Berlin Conversations about Afghan Trajectories of Mobility and Engagement within the EU

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Project explanation


The “Berlin Conversations” consist of a series of focus group discussions with persons of Afghan origin residing in Germany. The discussions focus on mobility trajectories within Europe and their relationship to socio-political engagement. The primary objective is to generate qualitative data on participants’ geographical, social, and political trajectories in Europe and to analyze how differentiated mobility experiences shape forms of political, civic, and social engagement. Particular attention is given to variations across sociological profiles within the Afghan diaspora in Germany, which has become the main European destination for many individuals and families from Afghanistan.



The Berlin Conversations are the result of a collaboration between the coordinator of the AMORE research project and Bakhtar Institute e.V. The AMORE (Afghan Europeans. The invention of a mobility regime) project analyzes the internal functioning and evolution of the Afghan mobility regime within the European Union. The research focuses in particular on mobility trajectories, their structural features, and their political and social consequences. On the other hand, the researcher of Bakhtar Institute e.V has conducted long-standing research on forms of engagement within the Afghan diaspora, particularly in Germany. His work examines the diverse forms of engagement developed by Afghans, ranging from mobilization toward host-country institutions, engagement within Afghan communities in Europe, as well as sociopolitical or humanitarian involvement related to Afghanistan. The project builds on Bakhtar Institute e.V extensive network and experience in organizing and facilitating focus group discussions, as well as the representative of AMORE project’s expertise in qualitative research and mobility studies.


The Berlin Conversations pursue the following objectives:

  • To generate empirical data relevant to both research agendas (mobility and engagement).
  • To foster collective reflection and collaborative analysis that enriches both projects.
  • To explore the potential for a co-authored publication based on the findings.


Beyond academic contributions, the project may also help nuance predominantly negative representations of Afghans in public debates in Germany by highlighting the diversity of trajectories and forms of engagement within the community.

The project is structured around three main analytical pillars: 1) Mobility trajectories; 2) Engagement practices; 3) Spatial imaginaries and belonging. To operationalize these pillars, the Conversations explore six interrelated analytical dimensions.

Methodology


The Berlin Conversations will follow a qualitative methodology based on Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), facilitated by representative of BI, who has extensive experience organizing and moderating discussions within Afghan communities. FGDs are particularly appropriate for this study because they:

  • Allow in-depth exploration of shared and divergent perspectives;
  • Generate rich qualitative data through participant interaction;
  • Help uncover social norms, beliefs, and collective meanings that may not emerge in individual interviews;
  • Encourage reflection through group dynamics;
  • Enable comparison across different sociological profiles.
  • Conducting a series of discussions will allow cross-group comparison and enhance the analytical robustness of the findings.


Composition of the Groups

The series of sessions will be conducted with participants recruited through BI established networks within the Afghan community in Germany. The recruitment will follow these criteria:

  1. Relations of trust: Participants have an established relationship of trust with the moderator, formed through professional interactions.
  2. Relevant experience: the moderator is familiar with participants’ significant experiences of engagement and mobility
  3. Openness and Willingness to Share: The moderator knows they are willing to share openly and comfortable engaging in collective discussion;
  4. Diversity of Arrival periods: The groups will include participants who arrived in Germany during different time periods, such as before 2002; years 2000s; 2015- 2021 and post 2021.
  5. Demographic considerations: Gender and age is considered to ensure a diverse representation. All participants belong to group profile of educated and socio-politically active Afghans.
  6. Representation: The Berlin conversations provide accomodation for participants from different states of Germany to visit Berlin and attend the FGDs sessions.


Data Collection


The Conversations will be conducted in an informal, dialogical format to foster trust and encourage open exchange. A semi-structured discussion guide will provide thematic direction while allowing flexibility for participant-led dynamics. A note taker will take detailed notes in English. In addition to maintaining detailed records of exchanges, particular attention will be given to documenting key arguments, points of disagreement, recurring themes, and observable group dynamics. Moderators will also write immediate debrief notes after each session to capture reflections and emerging insights.


Ethical Considerations 


Participation in this project is on voluntary basis. Moreover, the participants will be informed about the objectives of the project and the use of data, its confidentiality and anonymity. Participants may withdraw at any time without consequence; Data will be securely stored and used solely for research purposes.


Funding and duration


The project is funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) via the AMORE project. The project will be implemented between February to August 2026; however, the publication may be finalized next year.