Dr. Ulrike Bialas

Ulrike Bialas is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Socio-Cultural Diversity, specializing in the study of categories and categorization processes in the context of international migration. Her forthcoming ethnographic book Forever 17: Coming of Age in the German Asylum System (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo208300969.html) examines the role of the legal and social category of age in the lives of young asylum seekers in Germany. Ulrike is currently conducting an interview-based study that explores the intricate decision-making processes surrounding migration pathways and legal statuses among migrants from Syria.

Prior to joining the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Ulrike completed a PhD in Sociology at Princeton University (with a focus on International Migration, Urban Sociology, and Science and Technology Studies) and a BA and MA in Social Sciences at Humboldt University Berlin.

Research Projects

• Belonging on a Continuum: Legal Status Journeys and Social Membership
• Forever 17: Coming of Age in the German Asylum System

Media

Why Migration Categories Matter | Insights @mpimmg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wp8yzLXDbc

MaxPlanckForschung | Zur Sache | Flüchtige Jugend: https://www.mpg.de/20551232/W001_Zur-Sache_016-019.pdf

Ach Mensch! Podcast | Was bedeutet Erwachsensein für junge Flüchtlinge? https://detektor.fm/wissen/ach-mensch-ulrike-bialas-erwachsensein-fluechtlinge

Publications

Books

Bialas, U. (2023). Forever 17: Coming of age in the German asylum system. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo208300969.html)

Special Issue Editorships

Bialas, U., Lukate, J., & Vertovec, S. (in progress). Contested Categories in the Context of Migration. Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Bialas, U., & Lukate, J. (in progress). Beyond classification: Un/making Categories in the Context of Migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Bialas, U. (2023). Ambiguous Ages, Ambivalent Youths: How Asylum Seekers in Germany Navigate Age Categorization. Migration Politics, 2(1), 003. https://doi.org/10.21468/MigPol.2.1.003

Bialas, U. (2022). The Effect of Offspring Sex on Parents’ Migration Probabilities and Outcomes—A Natural Experiment. Sociological Inquiry, 92(S1), 681–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12399

Bialas, U., & Sohail, J. (2022). Flucht nach vorne (seeking refuge in the future): Trauma, agency, and the fantasy of onward flight among refugees in Berlin. Ethos, 50(4), 480–495. https://doi.org/10.1111/etho.12369