Claudia Sadowski-Smith is Professor of English and American Studies at the Arizona State University, USA.
PhD in English, University of Delaware (1998)
BA in Applied Linguistics, University of Leipzig (1990)
Migration Studies, Border Studies, Whiteness Studies, Mass Media and Climate Migration
Duration
4 months, May - August 2025
Host at the University of Passau
Prof. Dr. Karsten Fitz
(Professorship for American Studies/Cultural and Media Studies)
This research projecct will continue ongoing research on Ukrainian refugee migration to Germany and the United States, focusing on government policies and the role of advocacy and diaspora organizations. Building on work initiated during her 2023/24 visits to the University of Passau, Prof. Dr. Sadowski-Smith plans on completing two externally-funded collaborative projects with Passau faculty and draft a chapter for her book Government, Advocacy, and Diaspora Responses to Refugee Migration: Ukrainian Migration to the United States and Germany, 2014-2024. The book will compare U.S. and German responses to Ukrainian migration, particularly after Russia’s 2014 invasion and the 2022 full-scale war.
During the fellowship, Prof. Dr. Sadowski-Smith will engage in participant observation with local refugee advocacy and diaspora organizations, collaborate on joint publications with Professors Grigoleit-Richter and Ricard Brede, and deliver several guest lectures. Germany, as a major host country for Ukrainian refugees, offers an ideal case study for examining European migration policies within a global framework. The fellowship will contribute to strengthening Passau’s role as a center for interdisciplinary research, extending its academic reach through two co-authored publications with Passau faculty, which offer insights into how national policies and local responses shape refugee experiences, while contributing to global policy discussions on migration in both Europe and the United States.
