Material Culture and (Forced) Migration argues that materiality is a fundamental dimension of migration. During journeys of migration, people take things with them, or they lose, find and engage things along the way. Movements themselves are framed by objects such as borders, passports, tents, camp infrastructures, boats and mobile phones. This volume brings together chapters that are based on research into a broad range of movements – from the study of forced migration and displacement to the analysis of retirement migration. What ties the chapters together is the perspective of material culture and an understanding of materiality that does not reduce objects to mere symbols. Centring on four interconnected themes – temporality and materiality, methods of object-based migration research, the affective capacities of objects, and the engagement of things in place-making practices – the volume provides a material culture perspective for migration scholars around the globe, representing disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, contemporary archaeology, curatorial studies, history and human geography. The ethnographic nature of the chapters and the focus on everyday objects and practices will appeal to all those interested in the broader conditions and tangible experiences of migration.

People's transnational mobilities, their activities to build homes in their countries of residence and their connectivities have resulted in multiplicities of belonging to en countered, imagined and represented communities operating within various political contexts. Migrants and their descendants labor to form and transform relations with their country of origin and of residence. People who see their origins in India but are now living elsewhere are a case in point. They have been establishing worldwide home places, whose growing number and vibrancy invite reconsideration of Indian diasporic communities and contexts in terms of 'India(s) beyond India.' Issues of be longing in Indian diasporas include questions of membership not only in the nation of previous and present residence and / or the nation of origin, but also in other com munities and networks in political, economic, religious and social realms at local, regional or global levels. Yet, belonging-and especially simultaneous belonging-to various formations is rarely unambiguous. Rather, belonging in all its modes may entail dilemmas that arise from inclusions and exclusions. Bearing in mind such pro cesses, the contributions to this volume endeavor to provide answers to the question of what kinds of difficulties members of Indian communities abroad encounter in connection with their identifications with and participation in specific collectivities. The underlying argument of all the essays collected is that members of Indian diaspo ras develop strategies to cope with the dilemmas they face in connection with their sense of belonging to particular communities, while they are subjected to specific power relationships. Thus, the volume sheds light on the ways in which dilemmas of belonging are being negotiated in intercultural fields.

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Since 1998, there has been an ongoing internationalization of higher education. One result of this has been an increase in student mobility. The OECD estimated in 2013 that more than 4.5 million tertiary education students were internationally mobile (OECD 2013). To attract students and researchers to Germany, the government as well as research institutes and universities have developed numerous programs and advertising strategies. Institutions such as the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) court young students by offering attractive financial and scientific opportunities. In doing so, Germany has attempted to brand itself as the "land of ideas," 1 a land of innovation, and science. Statistics show that India is one of the top three sending countries for postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers. 2 With its university and variety of research institutes (mostly Max Planck Institutes), Göttingen, or the "city of science," 3 is one center attracting Indian students and researchers. As of 2017 around 300 Indian postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows are studying or working in the 1 The 'Germany-Land of Ideas' initiative is supported by the German Government, the Foreign Office, the Ministry for Education and Research and various companies (https://land-der-ideen.de/en/ partners).

DanksagungDiese Dissertation ist über einen nicht gerade unerheblichen Zeitraum von neun Jahren entstanden. In dieser Zeit haben viele Menschen zur Entstehung dieser Studie beigetragen. Zuerst gilt mein Dank Prof. Dr. Elfriede Hermann, die meine Arbeit betreut und begutachtet hat. Sie hat mir durch ihre unerschütterliche Unterstützung, ihren Glauben daran, dass ich diese Doktorarbeit schreiben kann und nicht zuletzt eine Anstellung die Promotion ermöglicht. Ich danke Dr. Julia Koch, die erst spät zu meinem Betreuungsausschuss gestoßen ist, aber eine wichtige Gesprächspartnerin in den Mittagspausen war und die mich jeden Tag durch die simple Frage "Und was machst du heute?" dazu gezwungen hat, mir Arbeitsziele zu setzen. Ich danke Prof. Dr. Steven Vertovec für seine hilfreichen Anmerkungen beim Treffen des Betreuungsausschusses. Prof. Dr. Thomas Oberlies danke ich für seine Kommentare zu den frühen Fassungen dieser Arbeit.Ein besonderer Dank gilt den jungen Wissenschaftler*innen aus Indien, deren Veranstaltungen ich in Göttingen besuchen konnte, die mit mir über ihr Leben in Göttingen, Indien und ihre Wünsche sprachen, mir Kricket näher brachten.Ich möchte hiermit den Menschen danken, die mit mir das Büro, Mittagspausen und die anstrengende Zeit der Promotion geteilt haben: