Revisiting the Turkish Migration to Germany after Forty Years

Abstract:     
Turkish migration to European countries can be considered as the second phase of Republican Turkey’s migration history. It mobilised
very large numbers of people since in-migrations of the period following the First World War (1914–18) and the War of Independence (1919–22). Germany, obviously, has a significant role within this migration regime of the last forty years (1961–2001). Since the bilateral agreement allowing hundreds of thousands of Turkish labourers’ entry into Germany were signed with this country in 1961. Thus the beginning of the European Turks was marked. Today, migration from Turkey to Europe, especially to Germany, constituted the largest non-EU immigrant minority in Western Europe during the second half of the century. This study provides a reassessment of Turkish migration to Germany with a particular focus on the context and composition based on immigrant narratives. Ethnic and political aspects including the terror of the clashes in South East Turkey during the last two decades of the last century, and the coincidence with the rise of the fortress Europe policies are addressed. Mining the narratives of Turkish immigrants in Germany, this study reveals some unresearched motivations of Turkish migratory regime.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 12

Keywords: Turks, Kurds, Turkey, Germany, Migration, Guestworkers, Asylum Seekers, Conflict

JEL Classification: Z00

Accepted Paper Series