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Z’Flucht

German Journal of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies

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Thanks to the support of subscribers, the 2026 issues will be available as open access.

About

The Zeitschrift für Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung, German Journal of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (Z’Flucht) is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes academic works from diverse disciplines on questions related to forced migration and refugee studies. The journal is published twice a year by Nomos publishing house in association with the German Network for Forced Migration Research (Netzwerk Fluchtforschung e.V.) and the editors.

Z’Flucht provides a forum for exchange in the field of forced migration and refugee studies through empirical research, theoretical reflections and methodological discussions. By means of international, regional or national explorations, scholars may address questions related to the conditions, forms and consequences of forced migration and displacement, the protection of refugees and efforts towards durable solutions, such as return, (re)integration or resettlement. Moreover, refugees’ activities and strategies to cope with their experiences may be analysed. The journal includes all categories of people who have been forcibly displaced or who have fled from their homes due to violence, and the debates, discourses, practices, politics and concepts related to them. Since such topics can be explored from diverse perspectives, the journal places special emphasis on interdisciplinary discussions and comprises various disciplines, including law, sociology, history, politics, philosophy, ethnology, psychology, geography and economics, linguistics and literary studies.

As displacement and forced migration not only represent a growing field of research but also a broad political and practical area, this journal aims to promote exchange between academia and practice.

Z’Flucht publishes works in three categories: academic articles, forum articles as well as literature reviews and conference reports.

  • Academic articles present research findings on specific questions related to forced migration and refugees which are methodically and theoretically reflected on, consider and further the current state of research in this field. These articles undergo a double-blind peer review and are limited to 80,000 characters (including spaces).
  • Forum articles include short reflections on theoretical, methodological, conceptual and research ethics issues or current discussions in refugee and forced migration research. Contributions from the field are welcome. Forum contributions will be reviewed by the editors and an external reviewer and should not exceed a length of 35,000 characters (including spaces).
  • Literature reviews and conference reports can relate to individual or a number of new publications or conferences from the last two years which address aspects of forced migration and refugee studies. In view of the journal’s interdisciplinary focus, publications or conferences which cover several disciplines are preferred. Individual reviews are limited to 6,000 characters (including spaces), while multiple book reviews or conference reports should be no longer than 20,000 characters (including spaces).

The journal predominantly publishes works in German, but studies written in English and French may also be considered.

Manuscripts which fall into the three aforementioned categories can be submitted via OJS: ZFlucht (nomos-journals.de)

ISSN Print 2509-9485
ISSN Online 2942-3597
Published semi-annually

Editors

Zeitschrift für Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung, The German Journal for Refugee Studies (Z’Flucht) is edited in association with the Netzwerk Flüchtlingsforschung (the German Refugee Research Network) by

  • Marcel Berlinghoff
    Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS), University of Osnabrück, Germany
  • Valentin Feneberg
    Institute of Political Science, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
  • Birgit Glorius
    Institut für Europäische Studien und Geschichtswissenschaften, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Germany
  • Judith Kohlenberger
    Institut für Sozialpolitik, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria
  • Annette Korntheuer
    Fakultät für angewandte Sozialwissenschaften, Hochschule München, Germany
  • Hannes Schammann
    Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Universität Hildesheim, Germany

Scientific Advisory Board

The members of the advisory board of the German Journal for Refugee Studies represent various disciplines whose research focuses on forced migration and refugee studies.

Editorial Office

Manuscripts, which fall into one of the following three categories of academic articles, forum articles, and literature reviews, can be submitted at any time to zflucht@nomos-journals.de.

Two versions of academic essays must be submitted: one anonymous version and one including the author’s name. Manuscripts, which have previously been published or are currently under review or consideration for publication, may not be submitted to Z’Flucht.

It is recommended that authors consult the style guidelines for layout and structure of their manuscripts.

Hannah Schmidt
Institut für Sozialwissenschaften
Universität Hildesheim
Germany

E-Mail: zflucht@nomos-journals.de

Publication Alert (TOC-Alert)

Register now for the free Z’Flucht Publication Alert (TOC-Alert) and never miss an issue again! Simply register with Inlibra. Then click on “Alert Settings” in your profile and select Z’Flucht under 4 Journals (TOC-Alert).

Call for Papers

Call for Proposals

Guest Editorial of a Special Issue

Z’Flucht publishes special issues for which guest editors are responsible in collaboration with the journal editors. Special issues are published in the same format as regular issues of Z’Flucht, but the contributions deal with a precisely defined topic and present new theoretical, methodological or conceptual approaches. The contributions highlight the topic from different perspectives, but are related to each other. The consideration of different disciplinary approaches and a balance in the gender composition of the authors are explicitly encouraged. Ideally, the forum articles should be written jointly with authors from research and practice.

For Volume 11 (2028), we once again invite proposals for guest-edited special issues. Proposals should include the following information:

  • Name, affiliation, address, e-mail of the guest editor(s)
  • Title of the Special Issue
  • Topic: Explanation of the relevance, especially for the audience of Z’Flucht, and the approach.
  • Preliminary table of contents:
    – 3-5 academic articles (including an introduction by the guest editor(s)),
    – 2-4 forum contributions and, if applicable, (max. 2) book reviews or collective reviews
    – All contributions should be confirmed by the respective authors.
  • Abstracts of each academic and forum article proposed (max. 150 words).
  • List of authors and guest editors with brief bio-bibliographical information.
  • A timetable for the next steps.

The document should not exceed 12 pages.

Please send proposals for a thematic issue to zflucht@nomos-journals.de by 31 October 2026.

Selection and Review Process

The editors will select suitable proposals and, together with the guest editors, establish a timeline for the completion of the special issue. Research articles will undergo the journal’s regular peer-review process. Forum contributions and book reviews will be jointly reviewed by the guest editors and the editors. The editors reserve the right to supplement the special issue with additional contributions where appropriate.

The special issue is scheduled for publication in 2028 and may be represented by a panel at the 7th Conference of the Network for Forced Migration and Refugee Studies.

Special Issues

2021 | Flucht und Gesundheit

Manuscript Submission

ZFlucht (nomos-journals.de)

Authors Guidelines

Authors Guidelines

Publishing Open Access

The Z’Flucht is not an open access journal. However, it is possible to publish individual articles in the journal open access by making the digital version freely available under a Creative Commons license chosen by the respective author(s). The publisher requires a fee to cover the publication costs (Article Processing Charge – APC) in the amount of 1,990.00 EUR (plus VAT). Many scientific institutions and science funding bodies provide corresponding funds for the publication of research results.

Are you interested in this option? Talk to your editorial office or contact open-access@nomos.de!

Peer Review Process

Reviewers for Z’Flucht are selected according to their thematic expertise. If the content of a submitted manuscript covers more than one specific subject disclipine (which is not uncommon), an attempt is made to select reviewers from two different disciplines or to ensure that different approaches to a subject are represented by the reviewers’ subject knowledge. The editors shall confer bilaterally on the allocation of the reviews. Some of the reviewers have a professorial degree, but since refugee research is a relatively new field of research which has recently been promoted by younger scholar in particular, reviews are also conducted by doctoral students or post-docs, i.e. by those who, from the point of view of the editors, are most likely to have the necessary expertise to assess and evaluate a submission properly. Possible conflicts of interest are already taken into account when selecting the reviewers. In addition, the reviewers are always asked (in the context of whether they want to take on a review) to state any possible conflict of interest.

Abstracting & Indexing

Z’Flucht is indexed

Copyright

Copyright

Media Kit

Media Kit