About Afghanistan Research Hub
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The Afghanistan Research Hub (ARH) is a collaborative platform for networking and connecting academics, researchers, scholars and institutions working on Afghanistan and its diasporas within Germany and Europe at large. Furthermore, the ARH aims to connect and foster the potential of Afghan academics and researchers within the diaspora.
The initiative to establish and host the Afghanistan Research Hub within MERGE was born in 2023 out of the cooperation between the Berlin Institute for Empirical Research on Integration & Migration (BIM) at Humboldt University of Berlin and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Berlin (recognised by the Federal Government of Germany) under direction of Ambassador Yama Yari.
Why an Afghanistan research hub in Berlin?
Germany hosts the largest Afghan diaspora in the European Union and the third largest globally after Iran and Pakistan. According to the Federal Statistics Office of Germany (DeStatis), an estimated 420,000 Afghans lived in Germany in 2022. This figure does not include those holding German citizenship or their children, so the actual number of people of Afghan origin living in Germany is believed to be much larger.
Following the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, many Afghans who had worked with the German development, government and non-governmental institutions, as well as those in academia, media, arts and civil society were evacuated or migrated to Germany and Europe. On the other hand, economic hardship, impacts of climate change, and the heavy-handed implementation of strict rules by the Taliban, especially the curtailment of the rights of girls and women, have led to a significant increase in the number of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Germany.
The decades-long presence and social complexity of the Afghan diaspora in Germany, coupled with the continuous inflow of Afghan refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, necessitate thorough academic and institutional collaboration in the long term. The need to facilitate such collaboration and foster knowledge-sharing and knowledge-creation has been the main motivation for the establishment of Afghanistan Research Hub (ARH) as a precursor to the creation of a center dedicated to the study of Afghanistan and its diasporas in Europe, particularly in Germany, which hosts to the largest Afghan community in Europe.
What We Do
At the Afghanistan Research Hub (ARH), we are dedicated to fostering a vibrant and collaborative community of scholars, researchers, and institutions. Our activities include:
- Building Networks and Partnerships
- Connecting academics, cultural institutions, and policymakers across Germany and Europe.
- Creating spaces for exchange and collaboration.
- Facilitating Research and Knowledge Production
- Supporting interdisciplinary studies on Afghanistan and its diasporas.
- Providing platforms for (Afghan) scholars to present and share their work.
- Hosting Events and Workshops
- Organizing seminars, conferences, and public discussions to address pressing topics.
- Offering training sessions on the German academic system, research ethics, data collection, and other key skills.
- Publishing and Sharing Insights
- Curating working papers and reports to advance understanding of Afghanistan’s sociopolitical and cultural dynamics.
- Highlighting the contributions of Afghan academics to global scholarship.
- Empowering the Afghan Diaspora
- Creating opportunities for Afghan researchers and students in Europe.
- Advocating for inclusive and informed conversations about migration and integration.