Based on qualitative long-term fieldwork conducted in a peripherally located small town in East Germany, this article compares the dispersal of repatriates from the former Soviet Union with that of recent refugee arrivals. It shows that in this small town the dispersal and local governance of refugees builds on previous approaches to dealing with repatriates. Such approaches repeatedly result in cycles of localized distribution and subsequent small-scale segregation, short-term integration activities, the detachment of both groups from the town and, finally, migrants’ subsequent outmigration and relocation to other (mostly larger) cities. To make sense of this path dependency in terms of its specific patterns and characteristics, and to explore the relationships between dispersal, local policy framings, and in- and outmigration to and from small towns, I apply a studying through dispersal approach. This approach reveals that dispersal is an important factor in making and unmaking local migration policies. It can turn small towns into productive sites for migration governance, often transforming them into mere waiting zones and transit spaces. This not only continues migrants’ experiences of displacement but also impacts on the image of the small town, where migrants themselves may not want to reside permanently.

中文翻译：

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管理通过小城镇的移民：分散和过境空间的产生

基于在东德一个外围小镇进行的定性长期实地调查，本文比较了从前苏联遣返者与最近抵达的难民的分散情况。它表明，在这个小镇上，难民的分散和地方治理建立在以前处理遣返者的方法之上。这种做法反复导致局部分布和随后的小规模隔离、短期融合活动、两个群体脱离城镇的循环，最后是移民随后迁出和搬迁到其他（主要是较大的）城市。为了根据其特定模式和特征来理解这种路径依赖，并探索分散、地方政策框架之间的关系，通过分散的方法学习。这种方法表明，分散是制定和取消当地移民政策的重要因素。它可以将小城镇变成移民治理的生产场所，通常将它们变成纯粹的等候区和中转区。这不仅延续了移民的流离失所经历，而且影响了小镇的形象，移民本身可能不想永久居住。