50 years ago, tens of thousands of Turkish men (and women, as I was just informed) entered Germany to work. 50 years ago, the first Turks entered a country that wasn’t entirely Zen with itself yet. The Second World War had left deep scars with the German population, and if one can’t entirely make sense of one’s self, how is one supposed to make sense with some one else? But the economy was booming and the employees were “needed”, although not wanted. Germany never perceived itself as an immigration country, let alone an immigration society. So when the 1961 treaty ended in 1973, and 3 out of 14 million Turkish men did not leave, Germany was puzzled. The men brought their families, but the schools weren’t prepared, the government wasn’t prepared, there was no such thing as integration. Instead, the word Leitkultur was invented. Rather than integration, a pessimistic multicultural set in: Coexistance appeared better than mingling. Integration improved over the decades, the shifts of generations helped; but is that really the whole picture?
Germany pretended not to be an immigration country, but it is. And it has been. Apparently, we’re just not spontaneous enough to notice. But there is willingness to debate. For instance, after Angela Merkel declared multiculturalism in Germany a failure (see above). Or when Thilo Sarrazin published “Deutschland – ein Land schafft sich ab”. Yet there’s more than political and intellectual debate. Since the 1990’s, numerous German-Turkish comedians, TV-hosts and film directors emerged, some with wide success, like Fatih Akin. In 2006, the TV series “Türkisch für Anfänger” was a great success, picking up on everyday topics in a German-Turkish patchwork family.
Over the last few days, much has been said and written about the lives of Deutschtürken. But just as little as there was a handshake between the German and Turkish heads of state in 1961 (there was none – only letters), there is appreciation for what Germany has achieved. Needless to say, much more needs to be done. But given that Germany was still under shock when (un-) welcoming the Turkish workers, and was still under shock when some stayed, and has done innumerous mistakes concerning integration policies (ranging from separate Turkish school classes to Einbürgerungstests), there are myriads of examples of Deutschtürken that are perfectly fine and that mingle. On top of that, Germans finally seem to finde a national identity that they are comfortable with. And as much as is now accredited that Germany and its Germans influenced and changed the Turkish immigrants, there must be the realization that Germany has been transformed just as much. We are not a country of Germans and Germans only. We are a country of hybrids: Germans that are deutschtürkisch, deutschrussisch, deutschpolnisch, deutschitalienisch and so on and so forth. Slowly but surely, we are getting used to the thought. Raising the question of whether it’s a good or a bad thing to have immigrants is like asking if it’s good or bad to be here at all. 50 years and a positive twist over the past decades are reason enough to celebrate.
Germany pretended not to be an immigration country, but it is. And it has been. Apparently, we’re just not spontaneous enough to notice. But there is willingness to debate. For instance, after Angela Merkel declared multiculturalism in Germany a failure (see above). Or when Thilo Sarrazin published “Deutschland – ein Land schafft sich ab”. Yet there’s more than political and intellectual debate. Since the 1990’s, numerous German-Turkish comedians, TV-hosts and film directors emerged, some with wide success, like Fatih Akin. In 2006, the TV series “Türkisch für Anfänger” was a great success, picking up on everyday topics in a German-Turkish patchwork family.
Over the last few days, much has been said and written about the lives of Deutschtürken. But just as little as there was a handshake between the German and Turkish heads of state in 1961 (there was none – only letters), there is appreciation for what Germany has achieved. Needless to say, much more needs to be done. But given that Germany was still under shock when (un-) welcoming the Turkish workers, and was still under shock when some stayed, and has done innumerous mistakes concerning integration policies (ranging from separate Turkish school classes to Einbürgerungstests), there are myriads of examples of Deutschtürken that are perfectly fine and that mingle. On top of that, Germans finally seem to finde a national identity that they are comfortable with. And as much as is now accredited that Germany and its Germans influenced and changed the Turkish immigrants, there must be the realization that Germany has been transformed just as much. We are not a country of Germans and Germans only. We are a country of hybrids: Germans that are deutschtürkisch, deutschrussisch, deutschpolnisch, deutschitalienisch and so on and so forth. Slowly but surely, we are getting used to the thought. Raising the question of whether it’s a good or a bad thing to have immigrants is like asking if it’s good or bad to be here at all. 50 years and a positive twist over the past decades are reason enough to celebrate.
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