A ‘Melting Pot’ City: Migration and Municipality in the Reconstruction of Dortmund

Abstract This article explores how Dortmund’s municipal government propagated a concept of city-citizenship and belonging for new arrivals by mediating between expellee, refugee migrant communities ‘native’ civil society in the 1940s-1950s. The devastation Dortmund during Second World War, housing energy shortages that followed, meant arrival over hundred thousand expellees refugees 1945–1960 placed severe strains on resources while exacerbating conflicts Dortmunders arrivals. success Social Democratic Party ( spd ) building hegemonic position postwar politics administration late 1940s facilitated coordination efforts to foster inter-community relations introduce populations city life. Within council government, expellee meetings, events we observe sustained 1) exert social control expellee/refugee deflect anger at poor conditions reconstruction period away from officials 2) inculcate taboos based peace democratic norms delegitimise resentment. It concludes tracing official narratives practices constructed 1940s-50s were redeployed guest workers 1960s.