Process of Migration and Integration of Turks in Germany: Comparison of the First and Third Generations
Hülya Demirağ, Can KakışımThe concept of migration is one of those subjects which are frequently examined in the fields of social sciences. Turkish immigrants who have moved to Germany beginning from 1961 as guest workers hold a crucial place in migration studies. This study investigates the processes of culturalization, integration, and assimilation of Turkish immigrants who came to Germany as guest workers and eventually settled there permanently. In this sense, differences between the first and third generations of immigrants are examined, and their process of integration with German society is analyzed. In this way, Turkish immigrants’ level of adoption of Turkish identity and preserving Turkish culture is investigated among the generations, and the factors that became influential in their adoption of German culture are analyzed. Furthermore, the aim of German integration policies, their level of efficiency, and their influence—especially on third-generation immigrants—are discussed in the article. In line with this purpose, the study presents a broad literature review comprising both classical and contemporary works.
Almanya’daki Türklerin Göç ve Entegrasyon Süreci: Birinci ve Üçüncü Kuşak Karşılaştırması
Hülya Demirağ, Can KakışımGöç olgusu, sosyal bilim alanlarında üzerinde sıklıkla inceleme yapılan konulardan biridir. 1961 yılından itibaren işgücü olarak Almanya’ya giden Türk göçmenlerin entegrasyon süreci göç araştırmalarında önemli yer tutmaktadır. Bu çalışma Almanya’ya işçi olarak giden ve orada “misafir işçi” konumundan çıkıp kalıcı olarak yerleşen Türk göçmenlerin kültürleşme, entegrasyon ve asimilasyon süreçlerini kuşaklararası karşılaştırmalı olarak incelemektedir. Bu bağlamda birinci kuşak ve üçüncü kuşak göçmenlerin aralarındaki farklılıklar ele alınmakta ve iki kuşak arasındaki çatışma ve Alman toplumuna entegre olma süreçleri üzerinde durulmaktadır. Böylece Almanya’daki Türkiye kökenli göçmenlerin Türk kimliğini ve kültürünü devam ettirme düzeyleri kuşaklar arasında mukayese edilmekte ve Alman kültürünü benimseme düzeylerinde etkili olan faktörler ele alınmaktadır. Ayrıca makalede, Alman devletinin uyguladığı entegrasyon politikalarının amacı, etkinlik düzeyi ve özellikle üçüncü kuşak göçmenler üzerindeki etkisi de tespit edilmeye çalışılmaktadır. Bu amaçlar çerçevesinde çalışma konuyla ilgili klasik ve güncel eserleri kapsayan geniş bir literatür taraması sunmaktadır.
After the Second World War, European states attempted to overcome major economic difficulties by inviting guest workers to their countries in order to resolve the manpower deficit left by the war. Over time, however, immigrants who moved from developing countries like Turkey to Western European states abandoned their “guest worker” status and began to settle permanently in these countries. Because of this, immigrants’ cultural problems, identity issues and concepts of culturalization, integration, and assimilation began to be studied to a much greater extent in the fields of sociology and political science.
Turkish labor migration to Germany started following an agreement signed between Turkey and Germany on October 30, 1961. In the first year, 6,800 Turks arrived in Germany, and their population steadily increased over the years. The Turkish population in Germany rose to 652,000 in 1971, 1,546,000 in 1981, and 1,780,000 in 1991. Turks who moved to Germany in the first decade following the agreement are considered to be the first generation of Turkish immigrants. Members of this generation had no information about Germany before their arrival and experienced serious difficulties in adapting to their new country. They were generally unskilled workers, they could not speak German, and they preserved Turkish values rather than assimilating German ones. As this group was seen by the Germans as temporary guest workers, integration policies were not applied to them
The second generation of Turkish immigrants in Germany appeared from 1974 to 1984. They were the children of the first generation, or they came to Germany under the laws of family reunification. In fact, beginning from the 1980s, the German government sought certain ways to encourage Turkish immigrants to return to their country, but these efforts proved largely ineffective. Even if a number of Turkish immigrants returned to Turkey, their children opted to stay in Germany, and thus the Turkish population continued to increase. Members of the second generation could speak some German, and some of them were educated in German schools. Following the formation of the second generation, German officials realized that presence of Turks in Germany would be permanent, and accordingly initiated some policies to ensure the integration of next generations to German society.
The third generation of Turkish immigrants is the product of these policies. These people are young, aged 18-29, and living in Germany. Compared to the previous generations, members of the third generation have a much closer relationship to German society. They were born and educated in Germany, they can speak German fluently and their friends are generally German. As they have also adapted to German culture and lifestyle to a great extent, it can be argued that the integration policies launched by the German state took root in this generation. Because of their proximity to German language and culture, these young Turks are quite active in the daily and professional life of Germany. On the other hand, they have not learned Turkish language and culture very well; they have some persistent conflicts with their families and previous generations. Alienation from Turkish identity is the most crucial problem in the overall structure of third generation.
In this study, the process of migration and integration of Turkish immigrants in Germany is examined and a comparison of the first and third generation Turks is made. The article argues that the changing cultural dimension of the Turkish immigrants in Germany originated from state policies to bring third-generation Turks closer to German culture and society.
