THE TURKISH MIGRATION TO GERMANY FROM THE 1960s TO THE PRESENT

Abstract

Turkish labor migration to Germany has a history of about sixty years. Many things have changed since the first agreement. At first, the migration was thought to be temporary; but over time the first workers have become residents. Some of the workers returned to their home. A large majority, who continued to live in Germany with their families, is still there today. Germany's policies until recently encouraged workers to return. Nowadays, it is possible to say that this situation has improved relatively. In this study, this issue is discussed and the process of migration is tried to be understood from the beginning until this time. Labor migration to Germany, the difficulties experienced by migrants were subjects of literature. Thus, Guest Labor Literature emerged. In this literature, different topics were discussed in terms of three generations. In this study, migratory and immigrant subjects are examined through selected works of Bekir Yıldız, Zafer Şenocak and Selim Özdoğan. The work chosen for the first generation is “Türkler Almanya’da”, “Tehlikeli Akrabalık” for the second generation and “Wieso Heimat, ich wohne zur Miete” (Why Home? I live through rent) for the third generation. The differences in three generations are discussed and the transformation of migration is tried to be understood. Content analysis is performed in this study, which is an example of case study. In the context of migration and migrants problem, there are differences in the perception of homeland, language, identity and belonging from the first generation to the third generation. In the first generation, homesickness, expatriation, the difficulties in Germany were subjects, while in the second generation belonging, search for homeland and identity are subjects. In the third generation, issues such as plural identities, cultural differences and interculturalism and perceiving of ‘the other’ attract attention.