Julia Stier

Dr. Julia Stier is a Research Fellow at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) in the Research Department Migration, Integration, Transnationalization. Her research focuses on West African migration dynamics, analyzing migration aspirations, migratory imaginaries, and the influence of communication technologies on migration decisions through qualitative and mixed-methods research.

• International Migration
• West Africa
• Qualitative Methods
• Mixed-Methods Research

Her work spans three key domains: (1) How societal imagery and digital media shape migration aspirations and agency in African contexts, (2) The role of communication technologies in transnational migration networks, and (3) Quantitative-qualitative analyses of urban segregation patterns in Berlin. She has published extensively on topics like pandemic-induced prejudice, economic barriers in migration, and methodological innovations in segregation analysis.

Stier's interdisciplinary research bridges migration theory, urban studies, and digital sociology. Her recent publications examine street-level bureaucracy in Senegal, the interplay of stigma and migration failure, and dynamic clustering approaches to urban demographic changes.