IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

The paper focuses on the evolution of the Indian diaspora in Germany through their housing practices. The rapidly growing numbers of highly skilled Indian migrants (HSM) represent the latest stream within the existing heterogeneous ‘Indian Diaspora’ resultant of varied phases of earlier Indian migration to Germany. Framed within the context of the recent intense migration influx into Germany, where migrant integration into the local urban fabric represents a persistent challenge, this research investigates the housing choices of the rapidly growing Indian diaspora in the metropolitan Frankfurt region as the conveners of both integrative and differentiated spatial practices linked to identity creation. Frankfurt presents an ideal location for comparative investigation within the Indian diasporic community with a strong presence of both labour-based and highly skilled Indian migrants. Methods include Urban mapping and spatial analysis of housing distribution patterns of Indian diasporic groups, interviews with real-estate agencies, relocation agencies, ethnic-religious institutes, Indian migrants and media analysis. Investigation of residential locations of the Indian HSMs with the labour migrants as a control group in Frankfurt reveals residential segregation consequent of subtle discrimination towards migrants. What is also uncovered is the pivotal role played by the German welfare state and its social-housing provision as a propellant for the distinct differences in home-ownership rates and homeward orientation amongst these two groups. This stark difference reproduces strong class consciousness within the two diasporic streams of Indian migrants echoing older more familiar nationally bounded (neo-colonial) socio-spatial structures of class segmentation.