News & Knowledge Transfer

The inaugural Migration, Diaspora, Citizenship (MDC) Project Day took place on October 27, 2025, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the conference room of the English Department (ES 203, Johannisstr. 12–20) at the University of Münster. The event opened with an engaging and forward-looking annual report delivered by MDC Director Prof. Dr. Klaus Stierstorfer, who highlighted the programme’s achievements over the past year, its growing international recognition, and the ongoing commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across the humanities and social sciences. His address underscored the continued relevance of the MDC Fellowship Programme in advancing research on migration, diaspora, and citizenship.

Following the annual report, the MDC Fellows presented posters showcasing the progress of their ongoing research projects. This interactive session provided an important platform for fellows to share their thematic approaches, methodological innovations, and preliminary findings. The range of topics—spanning mobility experiences, cultural practices, and policy-focused studies—reflected the intellectual diversity and dynamism of the MDC community. Engaged conversations between fellows and attendees further enriched the academic exchange.

A major highlight of the event was the roundtable “Migration, Diaspora, Citizenship: Regional Perspectives,” moderated by MDC Fellow Professor Katharina Kunter. The panel brought together an impressive group of practitioners and scholars whose work engages deeply with regional migration dynamics and community initiatives. The participants included Till Wyler von Ballmoos (Theater im Pumpenhaus Münster), Nadine Segadlo (Universität Münster), Ximena Meza Correa Flock (Stadt Münster) and Benedikt Kern (Ökumenisches Netzwerk Asyl in der Kirche NRW), joined by Stefan Hüttemann & Jörg Redeker (Modellprojekt Integration) and Jessica Bruckner (Kaktus Münster e.V.).
The discussion was lively and thought-provoking, touching on the core conceptual themes of the MDC project—migration governance, integration practices, the role of cultural institutions, and the evolving significance of citizenship in regional contexts. The exchange demonstrated the value of linking academic research with grassroots and institutional insights.

Overall, the MDC Project Day successfully fostered meaningful dialogue, reflection, and collaboration within a growing community dedicated to critical migration scholarship.
 

The project's blog, "MDC Space," is now online. On this blog, you can find articles, interviews, as well as reports about MDC events, created by current and alumni fellows as well as the project's partners.

Dr Eleftheria Pappa, Senior Fellow, has already published her first article "Reading the South-Western Script of Iron Age Iberia in Mass-Migration Context: A New Framework for the Deciphering of the Script with Case-Studies." 

Dr. Shepherd Mutsvara's submission "Externalization of Migration and Its Impact on the Human Rights of Migrants" to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants is offically listed on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) website. The input appears under Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) as COFUND.

The call for applications for 2026 fellowships is now closed!

Please stay tuned for future job postings ("Postdoctoral Research Associates/EU Forscher*in, salary level E 13 TV-L, 100%") for postdoctoral fellowships (24 months) and senior fellowships (6 months).
 

On 5 June 2025, Dr. Shepherd Mutsvara will present on "Asylum Capacity in Uganda" during a virtual dialogue hosted by LERRN – the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

The session is part of the GAIN–UNHCR dialogue series on protection, with a focus on asylum systems and capacity. Dr. Mutsvara will share insights from his fieldwork in Uganda’s Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement.

To attend as an observer, contact James Milner at the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) Secretariat by 2 June.

The new call for applications for 2026 fellowships is now open!

Here are the job postings ("Postdoctoral Research Associates/EU-Forscher*in, salary level E 13 TV-L, 100%) for  postdoctoral fellowships (24 months) and senior fellowships (6 months).

Apply now for an international workshop on "Minority Groups in the Ancient World"! Organised by the Münster School of Ancient Cultures (MSAC), the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands (OIKOS), and the Interdisziplinäre Doktoratsprogramm Altertumswissenschaften (IDA), Bern, this three-day workshop promises exciting discussions on diversity and inclusion in the Ancient World. For further information, please check the call for papers.

The first call for applications is now closed!

Please stay tuned for new job postings ("Postdoctoral Research Associates/EU Forscher*in, salary level E 13 TV-L, 100%") for postdoctoral fellowships (24 months) and senior fellowships (6 months) starting in May 2026.