EU-Turkish Relations Dossier

Turkish Migrants in Germany, Prospects of

Integration
by Aya Kll





Aya Kll
Research Fellow at the Center for Studies on Turkey (Essen)


Start of Migration

The year 2001 marked the 40
th
anniversary of the Turkish migrants in Germany. The principle idea of
Turkish migrant workers was to be a temporary measure to cover the shortage of manpower needed,
however, over time this developed to a permanent stay. The Turks have been faced with a variety of
challenges and basic choices which they have had to make in order to be able to integrate themselves
into Europe and in particular Germany. This integration process ranges from an interest to become
entrepreneurs, taking the host countries citizenship, through to the changes the host has to do in order
to fulfil the needs of these people who have been resident in Germany for 40 years.

The signing of the labour agreements with various western countries in the 1960s was the first step of
Turkish migration. At that time the Turks formed a homogeneous group in Europe, mainly as men and
labourers. By 1961, a total of 7,116 Turks had immigrated to Germany to become migrants workers. In
1973 when Germany was hit by the oil crisis and was faced by a down turn in its economy it was
forced to stop the intake of foreign workforce. At that date, the number of Turkish migrant workers had
reached 910,500 people. However, migration continued for the next two decades through family
reunification. While family reunification was formerly completed by the 1980s, the increase in the trend
of family formation can be observed with regard to young Turks living in Europe finding spouses in
Turkey. This is the most common and easiest way to overcome restrictive immigration policies.

The arrival of the families was a contributor to the decision of staying in Germany. Other factors
included the education of their children, the lack of economic opportunities in Turkey to start a fresh,
lack of savings, the negative experience returners had as well as the changes in their cultural and
social environment. To add to these factors was the development of technology connecting the host
land with the home land.

The reunification of the families and the increase in the number of migrant workers who wanted to stay
resulted in a new phenomena which the German society was confronted with. Germany began to
realise that the social consequences and aspects of migration had up until the mid to late 1980s not
been considered. Play-schools, schools, public authorities as well as health service facilities
1
found
that they were not equipped to handle the special needs of this part of the population. In recent years
(2000/2001) the discussion with regards to the necessities which need to be fulfilled in order to live
together have risen. However, even today there are places which are not adequately equipped to take
on migrants, in particular those of Muslim origin.

To date a significant number of 3.8 million Turks live in the EU making them the largest foreign
population. Of these around 2.5 million
2
, are resident in Germany making up the largest Turkish
community in western Europe. Currently there are about 7.3 million foreigners living in Germany, the
Turks make up 2.4% of the total population which lies just over 82 million.

The official number of Turkish citizens in Germany is falling, mainly due to the reason that many are
taking on German citizenship and since the year 2000 children born in Germany are entitled to take on

1
The ehalth facilities are particularly affected because the number of elederly turks in Germany is
increasing rapidly
2
Including those who are naturalised
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2
German citizenship. In 2002 there were around 500,000 German citizens of Turkish origin. By taking
on German citizenship Turks over the age of 18 also gain the right to vote in Germany contributing to
the forming of policies and allowing them to choose those who they feel support their wishes the most.
In addition, the second and third generation tend to be more in contact with Germans. The results of a
study undertaken by the Center for Studies on Turkey
3
showed that approximately 80% of Turks are in
constant contact with Germans. In the work place this figure was 78% and in friendship circles it was
75%. In particular the second and third generation contribute to the building of relationships between
the two societies, mainly because they do not suffer under the language barrier the first generation
did.


Entrepreneurs Among the Turks

The number of Turks who seek self employment has been increasing rapidly. Currently in Germany
there around 60,000 Turkish entrepreneurs. The trend for this can not just be related to the desire to
start up a business but also that unemployment in Germany is a major problem. Unemployment rate
among the Turks is the highest among all foreigners, mainly because many migrants were labourers
in economic sectors which overtime were abolished (e.g. coal mining). An important dimension of
social change among the Turkish population within Germany is the development of Turkish
entrepreneurs which accelerated in the 1990s. Between the period 1985 to 2000 the number of
Turkish entrepreneurs went from 22,000 to 59,500. This indicates an increase of 170 % equalling an
average annual growth rate of 7 %.


Religion

Many of the Turks living in Germany are born in the country and only know Turkey from holiday visits.
Integration has been successful among many of the migrants but there is still a presence of
foreignness which exists among the Germans as well as the Turks. This acclaimed foreignness does
exist in reality, and the main reason behind this phenomena is the Turks Muslim religious
background, which is significantly different in cultural terms when compared with the other migrants
from southern Europe. A very important contribution to reduce the rejection and promote integration is
to increase the knowledge about each other in order to overcome the inhibition thresholds. In order to
bring about successful integration an important element will be to reduce the rejection and help
promote and increase the knowledge about each other.

There are around 13 million Muslims living in Europe, with the majority being immigrants. Therefore,
religion and Islam become an important issue. The islamic community do not have any official rights
as a religious community, which for example would allow them to open up schools or organise social
events which are financially supported by the Government. However, these organisations are
important, they primarily serve to maintain culture, religion and tradition and therefore the identity.
Islam among the migrants has developed into a type of Euro-Islam
4
, the promotion of pluralist Islam
among the migrants is increasingly forming the everyday life of the Muslims living in Europe. From an
integrational political point this would carry fruitful benefits. Euro-Islam is not a concept far from reality
and should be promoted. This means that the religion of the people should not be rejected, since a
lack of acceptance could endanger the integration process.


Integration Prospects Where do we stand after 40 years?

Since the Turkish population living in Germany is not a homogenous group it is very difficult to set up
an integration plan or programme which could be implemented for all; in fact this would be rather
utopian. However, in order to be able to analyse the situation better and to be able to draw
conclusions one can divide the Turkish migrants into two major groups where there are clear
differences between them: the Gastarbetier, the first generation, and their children, the second
generation and third generation. The typical Gastarbeiter accounts for a quarter of the Turkish

3
Results of the year 2000, where 1,000 Turkish migrants (regardless of citizenship) were questioned
in North Rhine Westphalia.
4
Center for Studies on Turkey, Euro-Islam ZfT Aktuelle 89
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3
migrant population
5
. The first generation tend to have very little education, do not have a specific
profession, are classified as being labourers and tend to speak a rather poor German. Their social
contribution to the German community is somewhat limited. The first generation tend to be rather
ignorant about discrimination, because they do not feel the need for greater integration. Their group of
comparison are their friends and family back in Turkey, who, from an economic point of view, are
worse off than they are. Their ties to Turkey are stronger in order to keep open their option of returning
home. This also influences the first generations choice of not wanting to take on German citizenship.
If the inter- cultural contacts are left aside, then the desire to integrate with into the majority is also
very low. Given the fact that their general behaviour indicates a conservation of their original culture,
the status of the first generation or the typical Gastarbeiter, has to be described as being
segregated.

There is a contrast in the characterisation of the first and second/third generations. The second/third
generation
6
has been better educated, has a better professional status and tends to speak better
German then Turkish, thus, the level of social contribution is greater. However, it is important to bear
in mind that there are still distinctive differences between the second generation and the host
population. In conjunction with this the stereotype out of this category tends to be more sensitive
towards discrimination, which, observed from a subjective point of view, has negative effects on the
sense of belonging and thus, on the integration process. He has a loyalty and a sense of belonging to
both Germany and Turkey but very rarely thinks about returning to the motherland. The trend among
the second/third generation to become more involved in inter-ethnic activities is significantly higher
than among the first generation. This is a very positive sign, particularly with regards to integration. In
general the fact that the second/third generation tend to be more willing to integrate and accept the
host populations culture, not only indicates an acceptance of the lifestyle of the majority, through
adaptation of this lifestyle, but are important factors contributing to the integration process. It is
however, important to note that although the second/third generation tend towards adaptation to
German society, to some degree, it is still, preserving Turkish culture passed on from parents and
families. This preservation of Turkish culture is an important part of their identity. It has been observed
that among the second/third generation there are also divisions and therefore a contrast in the
integration path may be observed. On the one hand, there are the members of the second/third
generation who have shown positive developmental signs of integration and on the other hand there
are members of the second/third generation who are less willing to integrate into the society of their
host country, although their number is negligible.
At this point in time it is not possible to say whether the integration of Turks in Germany during the
past 40 years has been successful or not. Moreover, the situation of the Turks in Germany, as well as
their relationship with the Germans is rather complex and dependent on each individual case. There is
a need to define what integration really holds. Are the establishment of Turkish organisations, football
teams, discos, corner shops and so on a sign of the a failure in integration? It is obvious that in order
for integration to be successful there is a need for Turkish migrants to move towards the German
majority and for the Germans to accept for example, religious differences, just as they are. Both
parties have to be more open towards each other, and there has to be a clear indication that the
Turkish migrants are willing to adapt, to a certain degree, to German society.


Conclusion

Without a doubt, the Turks in the EU and in particular in Germany have many problems and are
confronted with many obstacles. The main one is their acceptance by German society and the feeling
of belonging to this society. In the eyes of the law, foreign nationals are not considered as being on
the same level as nationals. Turkish society is not looked upon as being equal in cultural and social
dimensions. This, again, results in a widening and a separation between the groups and, eliminates
equal opportunities and hardens the adaptation process. The Turks constitute the majority of Third
Country Citizens within the EU. Although, due to their high population, their contribution to the
economy of Germany and the appearance of having settled, in the sense that most do not intend to
return back to Turkey, they are looked upon as the most difficult group to integrate as a result of their

5
15.7% are 50 years of age while the proportion is 43% among the German population
6
accounting for 50.5% and 33.8% for the age range 14-29 and 39-49 respectively
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cultural differences. However, where the Turks are greeted with acceptance, their social contribution
to German society has improved. For example, the second/third generation is increasingly getting
more and more involved in public issues and defending their rights, which strengthens their
conscience levels and political participation.

The Turks living in Germany play a major role in creating a bridge between Turkey and Germany and
between the two societies, contributing to the development of these relationships. Neighbourly,
friendship or work relationships and cultural introductions are increasing the interest in Turkey among
Germans. This has changed Germanys traditional view of Turkey; mainly because of these
connections, a lot of Germans spend their holidays in Turkey. This has also resulted in words like
raki and dner entering the vocabulary of other European countries. Where the Turkish population
is high, the Turks have gained seats in their local government assemblies, allowing them to promote
partnerships between their own and Turkish cities, instead of other countries. Through bi-national
marriages, new family ties are formed. It is a fact that the migrants are in Germany to stay, integration
policies can and will be of great value as it is important is that inhibition thresholds are overcome and
that both societies move towards each other. Through integration the German society is in the position
to gain in culture as well as in friendships between two societies.