Claudia Olivier

PhD Project:

Transnational „Return“? – Migration Courses, Social Networks and  Belongings of Ghanaian Highly Skilled Migrants.

Short description:

It refers to the original linguistic meaning of the word "return", this initially expresses merely, that one comes back to a place where one has already been. However this literal and non-metaphoric understanding of "return" does not intend statements about the prospective period of stay at this place. Therefore the "return" to the country of origin in the context of migration does not only mean necessarily to stay and to remain, but rather includes the possibility of a new departure (re-emigration).
According to this reflection other approaches than the classically used migration and integration theories have to be used to understand the phenomenon in hybrid migration processes. The one-dimensional "go and back"- explanation loses increasingly its empirical basis in the globalised world. Under a transnational perspective "return" is no longer regarded as an endpoint of the migration movement but as part of a circular system of social relations.
The research project focuses on migration courses of Ghanaian highly skilled migrants from Germany and glances at the embedding of individuals in social network structures instead of the reintegration in the national origin context. This network analytical view enables the visualization of migration dynamics, to detect complex social relationship structures as well as to develop new social capital-raising resources for the actors. "Return" is a subjective process that produces various life situations. What options exist and in which way the individuals deal with these, that means in which way they use or rather strengthen their personal agency, is expressed in individually composed life strategies that again produce various migration patterns.
For the methodological framework, a qualitative empirical research approach is pursued in order to catch the actor’s subjective point of view. The qualitative ego-centered network analysis with the research pool network maps in combination with narrative-generating interviews is applied for the methodical implementation.

Main Research:

  • (Re) Migration, Transnationalisation and Development 
  • Social Networks, Social Capital and Social Support
  • International Development Co-Operation, Poverty Reduction and NGOs, particularly in Sub Sahara Africa
  • Qualitative Social Research (especially Social Network Analysis,  Narrative Interview and Grounded Theory)

Curriculum Vitae:

Since 10/2011: Manager of the Research Cluster "Transnational Social Support“ and the Journal „Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal“ at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (scientific assistant)

2010:  Lectureship at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, course: Challenges of Transnational Research

08/2009 to 12/2009:  Research visit in Ghana to collect empirical data for the PhD thesis2009:  Lectureship at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, course: Transnationalism and Social Support

08/2008 to 09/2011:  PhD student and scholarship holder at the DFG-Research Training Group 1474 "Transnational Social Support" at the University of Mainz/ Germany

07/2008:  Degree in Educational Sciences - topic of the thesis: Transnational project cooperations and partnership relations from NGOs in the German Kenyan Development Cooperation

01/2007 to 02/2007:  Internship at UNESCO-UNEVOC in Bonn/ Germany

11/2006 to 12/2006:  Internship at the German Commission for UNESCO in Bonn/ Germany

12/2004 to 01/2005:  Visit and mentoring of a private support project in Cape Town/ South Africa

08/2003 to 10/2003: Supervision of a social children theatre project in Lulekani and Giyani/ South Africa

08/2002 to 10/2002:  Internship at the NGO Leka Gape in Lulekani/ South Africa

04/2002 to 07/2008: Under- and postgraduate studies in Educational Sciences at the University of Trier/ Germany, main subject: Social Work, specialisation: International Social Work

10/2001 to 02/2002:  Voluntary service at the NGO Leka Gape in Lulekani/ South Africa

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Contact

Dipl.- Päd. Claudia Olivier
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Institute of Education
Research Cluster "Transnational Social Support“
55099 Mainz, Germany 

Office Address:
Colonel Kleinmannweg2
Room SBII 03-435
55128 Mainz, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 6131 3920794
Fax: +49 (0) 6131 3925995
Email: olivier@uni-mainz.de

 

Publications

Olivier, C./Schmitt, C. (2013) : Developmental Social Work in der Subsahara-Region – ein Mehrebenenansatz für die Soziale Arbeit. In: Bähr, C. /Homfeldt, H.G. /Schröder, C. /Schröer, W. /Schweppe, C. (eds.): Weltatlas Soziale Arbeit. Weinheim/Basel: Juventa (in print).

Olivier, C. (2013): Papier trotz Laptop? Zur wechselseitigen Ergänzung von digitalen und haptischen Tools bei der qualitativen sozialen Netzwerkanalyse. In: Schönhuth, M. /Gamper,M. /Kronenwett, M. /Stark, M. (eds.): Visuelle Netzwerkforschung  - Quantitative, qualitative und partizipative Zugänge Bielefeld: transcript (in print).

Olivier, C. (2013): Return Migration and Transnational Engagement – Reflections on the Symposium “Brain Gain for Africa”. In: Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal 3 [1], pp. M13-M19.

Olivier, C. (2013): Brain Gain oder Brain Clash? Implizites transnationales Wissen im Kontext von Rückkehr-Migration. In: Bender, D. /Duscha, A. /Huber, L. /Klein-Zimmer, K. (eds.): Transnationales Wissen und Soziale Arbeit. Weinheim/München: Juventa, p.181-205.

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (2013): Das Transmigrantische der Sozialen Arbeit – thematischer Aufriss einer spannungsreichen Suchbewegung. In: Herz, A. /Olivier, C. (eds.): Transmigration und Soziale Arbeit – ein öffnender Blick auf Alltagswelten. Grundlagen der Sozialen Arbeit. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider, p.1-18.

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (eds.) (2013): Transmigration und Soziale Arbeit – ein öffnender Blick auf Alltagswelten. Grundlagen der Sozialen Arbeit. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider.

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (eds.) (2012): Guest Editors of the Focused Topic “Transnational Social Networks”. Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal 2 [2].

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (2012): Transnational Social Networks – Current Perspectives. In: Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal 2 [2], p. 115-119.

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (2012): Transnational Social Network Analysis. In: Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal 2 [1], pp. 11-30.

Herz, A./Olivier, C. (2012): Transnationale Soziale Netzwerkanalyse. In: Transnational Social Review – A Social Work Journal 2 [1], pp. O7-O27.

Olivier, C. (2011): Transnationalisierung und Entwicklung: Zirkuläre soziale Transfers als Voraussetzung „erfolgreicher“ Rückkehr. In: Baraulina, T. /Kreienbrink, A. /Riester, A. (eds.): Potenziale der Migration zwischen afrikanischen Ländern und Deutschland. Beiträge zu Migration und Integration Band 2. BAMF, pp. 314-349.

Olivier, C. (2010): Partnerschaft trotz Machtgefälle? Rollenfunktionen und transnationale Vernetzungsstrategien von NGOs in der deutsch-kenianischen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. In: Homfeldt, H.-G. (ed.): Soziale Arbeit als Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Soziale Arbeit Aktuell. Band 16, pp. 28-45.

Lectures

2013 “Transnational Social Support: Care, Social Policy and History in a Transnational World”. Symposium on the Conference “Transforming Welfare Policies and Practices: European Conference for Social Work and Social Care Research”, 21. March 2013; Jyväskylä/Finland (with A. Chambon, W. Schröer, F. Wang, L. G. Gingrich, E. Lightman, C. Schweppe, S. Köngeter) (Abstract).

2012 “Brain Gain or Brain Clash? Transnational Lifestyle Patterns and Return Policies in Remigration Processes”. Posterpresentation on the Workshop “Reimagining Social Policy Toward Transnational Social Support” 11/12. October 2012, York University/Canada (program).

2012 Moderation of the panel discussion “Nigerianische Fachkräfte berichten über ihre Erfahrungen” at the symposium “Brain Gain for Africa – Zur Rolle der afrikanischen Diaspora an der Entwicklung Afrikas”, 05. September 2012, Kulturhaus Stadtwaage, Bremen/Germany (program).

2012 Moderation of the colloquium of the DFG resreach training group “Transnationas Social Support”,29. June 2012, University of Hildesheim/Germany (with K. Mangold).

2012 “Transnational “Return”? – Migration Biographies and Social Network Resources of Ghanaian Highly Skilled Remigrants”. Posterpresentation at the On-Site Evaluation of the DFG research training group “Transnational Social Support”, 29. June 2012, University of Hildesheim/Germany.

2012 “Möglichkeiten und Grenzen in Migrationsprozessen – eine qualitative Analyse ego-zentrierter Netzwerke von ghanaischen BildungsremigrantInnen” lecture at the 23rd congress “Erziehungswissenschaftliche Grenzgänge” from the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGFE), 13. März 2012, University of Osnabrück/Germany. (program)

2012 “Grenzen pädagogischer Kontexte – Soziale Netzwerkanalyse (SNA) als erziehungswissenschaftliches Forschungsprogramm?” Panel at the 23rd congress “Erziehungswissenschaftliche Grenzgänge” from the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGFE), 13. März 2012, University of Osnabrück/Germany (with A. Herz). (program)

2011 “Transnational “Return”? − Migration Biographies and Transnational Social Networks of Highly Skilled Ghanaian Remigrants” lecture on the international conference “Social Support on the Move - Transnational Social Work”, 04. October 2011, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz/Germany. (program)

2010 “Papier trotz Laptop? – Digitale Tools als Ergänzung der “Paper”-Variante bei der Analyse sozialer Netzwerke“ lecture at the symposium “Vom Papier zum Laptop – Perspektiven elektronischer Tools zur partizipativen Visualisierung und Analyse sozialer Netzwerke”, 01. October 2010, University of Trier/Germany. (program, lecture)

2010 “Transnational Return – Transnational Social Networks and the Mobility Potential of Highly Skilled Ghanaian Remigrants” talk at the 2010 symposium “Mobility and Migration in Africa” of the African Studies Association of the UK (ASAUK), 17. September 2010, University of Oxford/Great Britain.

2010 “VennMaker und forschungsmethodologische Fragen” lecture at the workshop “Feldforschung: Ergebnisse, Methoden und Vorbereitung” des Projektes “Netzwerkbeziehungen und Identitätskonstruktionen – Rückkehrstrategien von Spätaussiedlern im Kontext sich wandelnder Migrationsregime”, 17. August 2010, University of Trier/Germany.

2010 “Mixed Methods Network Analysis: Transnational Remigration Processes of Highly Skilled Ghanaian Migrants Returning from Germany” lecture on the 30th International Sunbelt Social Network Conference, 03. July 2010, Riva del Garda Fiere Congressi/Italy.

2010 Participant at the panel discussion “Perspektiven der Nachwuchsförderung an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz. Die Doktorandenausbildung im Wandel” at the research day 2010 of the department of humanities and social sciences and the faculty of theology, 02. Juni 2010, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz/Germany. (program, video)

2010 “Transnationale Remigrationsprozesse – Persönliche Netzwerke als Ressource sozialer Unterstützung von ghanaischen BildungsremigrantInnen aus Deutschland” Poster-presentation on the international conference “Transnational Care” 07/08. Mai 2010, Yang-Ming University in Taipei/Taiwan.

2010 “Transnational Networks in the Context of Remigration Processes – Networks providing social support to highly qualified Ghanaian migrants returning from Germany” lecture at the conference “Migration: A World in Motion. A Multinational Conference on Migration and Migration Policy” of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), 19. February 2010, Maastricht University/the Netherlands.

2009 “Netzwerkanalysen zur Erfassung sozialer Unterstützung von transnationalen Migranten-Netzwerken: Qualitative und Quantitative Zugänge” lecture within the PhD-Workshop “Netzwerke in interdisziplinärer Perspektive”, 26. June 2009, University of Trier/Germany (with A. Herz). (program)

2009 “Transnational Communities and Transnational Networks” lecture at the international symposium “Transnational Social Support”, 07. Mai 2009, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz/Germany (with A. Herz, H. Rolf, J. Steinhöfel). (program)

Memberships


ASAUK (African Studies Association of the UK)

INSNA (International Network for Social Network Analysis)

APPAM (Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management)