Flucht und Unterstützung: Die "Auskunftsstelle für Flüchtlinge" in Zürich und ihre Netzwerke

As in any case of migration, escaping is embedded in network relationships. This is not only true for the refugees themselves, but also for their helpers. They are also part of networks. Since the escape and its support are dynamic processes, the networks in which they are embedded are also changing. The article analyzes such changes of network relationships for an assorted example. Firstly, it investigates the escape of religious and revolutionary socialists after the so-called Anschluss (annexation) of Austria to Nazi Germany in 1938. Secondly, the support of the refugees by the Zurich Refugee Center is analyzed. Thirdly, the change of the network relationships of refugees and supporters is dissected. The paper is inspired by a theory of Henning Laux. The theory postulates a network development as follows: collision, composition, institutionalization, and deconstruction. The chosen theoretical point of view draws attention to changes and interdependent relationships, overcoming a simple static approach.