Globalizing Rural Areas. International Migrants in Rural Germany

International migrants sometimes decide to live in rural instead of in urban areas. These migrants can be clustered into different groups, e.g. amenity migrants, cross-border migrants, asylum seekers, training migrants and working migrants (seasonal and permanent). In rural areas in Germany, for example, in 2010 11.1 per cent of the population had a migratory background (Statistisches Bundesamt 2011). Even though this phenomenon of international migrants moving into rural instead of urban areas exists, it has long been neglected by researchers.
The aim of this chapter is to investigate how international migrants support the development of a “globalized countryside” (Woods 2007). Afterwards we focus on two different German case studies. First, we analyse international migration into the district town of Merzig (Saarland). Second, we investigate cross-border migration into rural areas in the German-Austrian borderlands (Bavaria). Based on the results, in our conclusion we discuss the statement that international migrants globalize rural areas.