As a child in the 1970s, Claudia Tazreiter emigrated from Austria to Australia with her family. For more than three years now, she has been back in Europe. Now as a professor at Linköping University. It is not a coincidence that migration is her field of study.
Claudia Tazreiter is a Professor of Ethnicity and Migrations Studies. Photographer: Thor Balkhed
Claudia Tazreiter has a vague childhood memory of her move to Australia. An airplane filled with young European women on their way to a new life. They have all had their trip paid for by the Australian government, as part of a policy to remedy the country’s large deficit in women. An example of social engineering, simply put.
“My mum managed to get a seat. She was a widow, single and still young. About 35, with two children, which the state saw as an advantage.”
The immigrant experience
But life as an immigrant would be tough for Claudia’s mother. In her native Austria she had been a social worker, but in the new country her education and skills were not recognised. In order to support herself and her children, she had to take unskilled jobs. Only after a long time was she able to get a government job.
Fotograf: Thor BalkhedClaudia and her brother had it much easier. They quickly got into the language and culture. It was not long before they did not even think of themselves as immigrants. They were Australians and were also regarded as such by their community.
“My mum made us sandwiches to take for school lunch. The sandwich fillings were very Austrian, but we used to ask her to give us something more Australian. So kids adjust, but I was very aware that it was completely different for her.”
The stories of the individual
It was probably there and then that the seeds of what would become Claudia Tazreiter’s research interest were sown. But the idea of an academic career was far from obvious. She first got a degree in graphic design and worked as a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald for many years, before she decided to study sociology.
How the individual is shaped and influenced by the surrounding society interested her. She began to look at the people who are among the most marginalised: migrants, refugees and the country’s indigenous population. Her doctoral thesis was about refugee policy in Germany and Australia. And all the time, her mother’s experience was, and still is, at the back of her mind.
“For me, it’s very important to tell the stories of the individual people. It’s just as valuable as studying the large-scale perspectives. Authorities and politicians often use statistics as a basis for decision-making, but I think it’s equally important for them to also include the personal stories.”
Fotograf: Thor BalkhedThe sins of the past
In collaboration with the Palestinian-Australian author Samah Sabawi, she is currently working on a book that brings together women’s and girls’ stories from Gaza. At the same time, she researches Australian refugee policy and how it has influenced global refugee policy. Australia has deported and detained asylum seekers in other countries pending decisions. This is an idea that some politicians in Europe have embraced.
This also ties in with another research project that she is passionate about. It is about how the sins of the past haunt us in the rich world. Atrocities committed in the past have consequences today, although we may not be aware of the connections.
“In other words, those of us are privileged and take our good lives for granted have a direct responsibility for what happens to refugees and other marginalised groups today. The wrongs committed in the past haunt us,” says Claudia Tazreiter.
A stranger in a foreign land
For seventeen years, she worked as a researcher and teacher at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. In her research she draws inspiration from anthropology, political philosophy, human geography and artistic methods. Her goal is to contribute to social change and to show how people’s sense of belonging in society depends not only on laws and financial resources, but also on how one is actually treated and viewed by others. The lives of individuals are, as always, at the centre.
Three years ago, she took the leap and became a professor of ethnicity and migration studies at Linköping University. Once again, she has made the journey across half the globe.
“Researchers in general are very mobile. It’s necessary if you want your work to remain relevant,” she says.
Fotograf: Thor BalkhedIn Sweden, she lives by herself. Her daughter is in England. Other relatives live in Austria and Australia, but she is used to having family across the world. And just like in the 70s, Claudia is now a stranger in a foreign country, but it does not really feel that strange. There are many similarities between Australia and Sweden. It is mostly the autumn darkness that is hard to get used to. Leaving your home country also brings new perspectives.
“From a distance, you can often better reflect on the place you come from. And given all that is happening in Europe now, I often feel that Australia maybe isn’t such a bad place after all.”
Facts: Claudia Tazreiter
Born in Austria, grew up in Australia
Age 62
Professor of Ethnicity and Migration Studies
Is Sweden’s representative in the European Advocacy Committee of Scholars at Risk, which is part of the international network Scholars at Risk.
Speaks both English and German fluently and has started to learn Swedish.
