| The aim is to build an international historical database of migrant organisations in Europe. This will include data on dates of foundation and dissolution, (primary) objectives, and scale of operation. These quantitative and qualitative data will enable researchers to compare the role of migrant organisations between nations, migrant groups and ethnic background in different periods of time and over generations. The database should facilitate research into the dynamics between opportunity structures and specific migrant characteristics (migration history, social capital, pre-migration socialization as a result of colonial ties). Moreover, the database should offer important material for questions related to the ecology of organisations (e.g. the way in which organisations compete for resources), as well as the wider topic of civil society. The development of a European database also provides a valuable context for discussing good practices of data collection on migrant organisations. An expert meeting and a workshop to prepare a grant application,the creation of a standardized code book for collecting and digitizing data as well as a virtual collaboratory environment (Liferay) are part of the project proposal. |
