On 23 May 2024, Prof. Dr Jürgen Bast presented reflections on a theory of human rights in conflicts over migration as part of a workshop discussion organised by the Farahat and Pöschl professorships. These considerations are part of the MeDiMi project (‘Human Rights Discourses in Migration Societies’) at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, which is investigating ‘human rights’ in law, politics and everyday life in migration societies, combining methods from legal, social and cultural studies.  In particular, the researchers are investigating the social conditions under which it is possible to question the exclusion of migrants by invoking human rights, how these conditions came about and what role the law plays in this transformation. In the workshop discussion, Professor Bast discussed initial theses from this project with students and researchers from the University of Vienna, lawyers and numerous representatives of civil society.