MIGRANT SOCIALITIES · New Migrant Socialities: Ethnic Club Cultures in Urban Europe

The project investigates new forms of sociality that young people with migrant background are producing in the context of urban club cultures in three European cities. It comparatively studies the phenomenon of ethnic club scenes with Turkish, South Asian and Maghrebi orientations in Berlin, London and Paris, corresponding to the major immigrant groups in each city and country. The project aims to explore how migrants participate in forms of social engagement and cultural experimentation that are specific to metropolitan city life, but have so far been not been addressed as relevant to the lives of ethnic minorities. Research seeks to shift attention from the predominant research focus on migrant identity to a focus on migrant practices of sociality, countering the heavy bias towards the study of attitudes and cultural identifications that tends to dominate across different disciplines. Its novel approach combines a focus on socio-cultural practices with an interest in urban scenes as fluid social formations that are semi-public and lack defined membership or criteria of belonging. Through ethnographic case studies carried out with a team of researchers in and across the three cities, the project explores the potential of urban club scenes for producing and experiencing different kinds of solidarity and encounter among disadvantaged groups.