Kumulative Dissertation, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2026

Forced migration unfolds as a dynamic, multi-phased process encompassing several stages of decision-making, uncertain and perilous journeys, arrival, and integration. The outcomes at each stage are contingent on individual features and external conditions. This thesis advances the sociology of migration through three interconnected studies that examine how individual resource endowment, legal and geographical conditions, xenophobia, social norms, and integration policies shape the trajectories of forced migrants. My findings demonstrate that border regimes and geographic barriers are more permeable to more educated, male, and solo refugee migrants. I furthermore reveal that the duration and risks associated with refugee journeys have complex but measurable effects on post-arrival integration trajectories. Importantly, long and hazardous journeys can undermine the ability of refugees to draw on their pre-migration human capital. Also, integration outcomes vary by pre-migration resources and gender: while the higher educated refugees are in general more likely to enter education after arrival, subsequent labor market entry is much more common among men than among women. Moreover, this thesis provides evidence that the probability to be legally recognized as refugee varies in response to local political climates. In regions with governments or residents that are more hostile towards immigrants, asylum chances are lower. In addition, male and Muslim asylum-seekers per se have lower recognition chances than others. In the sociological understanding of structural inequalities, I therefore argue that the uneven distribution of resources and unequal access to opportunities stratify migration and integration outcomes of forced migrants along the lines of gender, family context, educational background, social class, and immigrant status. Having shown that disadvantages accumulate throughout all stages of the refugee trajectory, I furthermore conclude that integration patterns are inseparable from migration processes. I argue that, instead, considering migrants’ pre-arrival periods in migration and integration research represents an excellent starting point for (1) scholars seeking to advance migration theory-making towards encompassing forced migration and (2) overcoming blind spots in the research on refugees’ integration outcomes after arrival.