Book review of “Germany in Transit: Nation and Migration, 1955-2005”. 588 pages, University of California Press, 2007, by Deniz Göktürk, David Gramling and Anton Kaes (eds.)

Though migration is an age-old feature of human activity, driven by various circumstances, its current place in the midst of global dynamics and the phenomenon of globalization is becoming increasingly critical. International immigration and its regulation have been largely shaped by the policies in the receiving countries, often determining preferences for nationality cohorts and work skills to satisfy their labor and human capital requirements. When immigration has been necessitated by political strife, host countries have displayed immense magnanimity as well. However, the growing realization of resource limitations and the strange quirks of cultural pluralism are in turn creating waves of dissonance. Literature and the media are now replete with an in depth look into the immigration debate in various nations of the world in trying to seek new directions and satisfactory solutions.

Simon Chesterman, One Nation Under Surveillance – A New Social Contract to Defend Freedom Without Sacrificing Liberty

Oxford University Press 2011, ISBN 978-0-19-958037-8

Language use at home and performance in English composition in multilingual Ghana

Ghana has witnessed a recurrent debate on the usefulness of indigenous Ghanaian languages in childhood education. It is assumed that using the mother tongue as a Medium of Instruction (MOI) during the early years improves children’s ability to acquire knowledge and other languages. Not everybody subscribes to this view though. There are those who feel that a solid start in English offers children a better chance of succeeding in school and in their careers. Presently, some parents who subscribe to the latter view have taken the extra step of stopping the use of indigenous Ghanaian languages at home. This paper presents the results of our investigation into whether the home language practices of Ghanaian students have any impact on their performance in English written argumentative discourse. The results are based on an analysis of an assigned essay of 92 students from one of Ghana’s best senior high schools. We then correlated their per¬formance with responses they gave to a questionnaire interrogating their background and language use at home. While some speak the native language at home, others grew up speaking exclusively English. We show that students who combine English and native Ghanaian languages at home performed better than those who used only English or only Ghanaian languages.

Über die Schwierigkeit, unparteiische Entscheidungen zu fällen: Schiedsrichter bevorzugen Fussballteams ihrer Kultur

Von Schiedsrichtern und Schiedsrichterinnen im Fußball wird erwartet, dass ihre Urteile keine Mannschaft übervorteilen. Wegen der Umstände, unter denen sie Entscheidungen treffen müssen, sind unparteiische Urteile jedoch unwahrscheinlich. Eine hinreichende Bedingung für eine Bevorzugung ist Ähnlichkeit. Als Maß der Ähnlichkeit verwendeten wir die Übereinstimmung der kulturellen Herkunft von Mannschaften und des jeweiligen Schiedsrichters. In der Schweiz gibt es eine französischsprachige und eine deutschsprachige Kultur. Wir analysierten 1.033 Spiele der höchsten Schweizer Fußballliga der Männer. Es zeigte sich, dass eine Mannschaft einen Vorteil hat, wenn sie aus derselben Kultur wie der Schiedsrichter stammt. Der Vorteil zeigte sich in der Höhe des Sieges, der Höhe der gewonnenen Punkte, der Anzahl gelber Karten und der Anzahl der Platzverweise.