Ten Years of InZentIM
Research on Migration and Democracy in Public Dialogue
- 08.06.2026
How are belonging, participation and social cohesion negotiated in plural societies? What challenges arise when different perspectives, experiences and expectations come together? These questions are at the heart of the anniversary conference “Contested Participation: Migration, Democracy and Controversies in Plural Societies”, with which the Interdisciplinary Centre for Integration and Migration Research (InZentIM) at the University of Duisburg-Essen will celebrate its tenth anniversary on 9 June 2026.
“Migration expands societal opportunities while at the same time intensifying debates about belonging, equality and political representation. A democratic society is not defined by the absence of conflict, but by how it deals with it,” explains Dr Merve Schmitz-Vardar, Managing Director of InZentIM. Since its establishment in 2016, the research centre has taken an interdisciplinary approach to questions of integration, migration and social cohesion, serving as a bridge between academia, policy advice and the wider public.
The conference will open with welcome addresses by Verena Schäffer, Minister for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Julia Jacobs, Mayor of Essen; Prof. Karen Shire, PhD, Vice-Rector for University Culture, Diversity and International Affairs at the University of Duisburg-Essen; and Prof. Dr Helen Baykara, Chair of the InZentIM Executive Board.
The public panel discussion will begin with a keynote address by sociology professor Aladin El-Mafaalani (TU Dortmund University). The discussion will focus on how participation can be shaped in plural democracies, how conflicts over belonging and representation can be negotiated constructively, and what responsibilities academia and civil society bear in an era of increasingly polarised public debate.
Panellists
- Dr Noa K. Ha | German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), Berlin
- Prof. Dr Aladin El-Mafaalani | TU Dortmund University
- Mekonnen Mesghena | Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin
- Prof. Dr Susanne Pickel | InZentIM, University of Duisburg-Essen
Moderators
Dr Jessica Schwittek and Prof. Dr Helen Baykara | InZentIM, University of Duisburg-Essen
Event Information
The event will be held in German.
Please find the full programme here: https://www.uni-due.de/inzentim/tim-2026.php
Dr Merve Schmitz-Vardar, Interdisciplinary Centre for Integration and Migration Research (InZentIM),merve.schmitz-vardar@uni-due.de