A Place in the Homeland? - (Edinburgh Studies on Diasporas and Transnationalism) by Nilay Kı & lı & nç & Russell King

About the Book

Explores the Turkish-German second generation's movement back to Turkey.

Book Synopsis

What happens when the second generation - the children of immigrants - moves to their parents' homeland? A Place in the Homeland: Turkish-German Return Migration answers this question for the Turkish-German second-generation, sons and daughters of the Turkish guestworkers and political refugees who migrated to Germany in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Based on 71 in-depth narrative interviews, their life-stories of growing up in German industrial cities and then 'returning' to Turkey are traced through their experiences of childhood and socialisation, relocation to Turkey, earning a living, managing family and other relationships, adapting to an environment that many found challenging and developing new, hybrid identities in the ancestral homeland. The key finding is that 'place matters', and experiences are compared and contrasted between second-generation returnees in the megalopolis of Istanbul, the tourist city of Antalya and a range of provincial urban and rural environments in other regions of Turkey.

Review Quotes

This book highlights the primary factors driving the return migration of second-generation German-Turks to their ancestral homeland. Through in-depth interviews with returnees in Istanbul, Antalya and other places in Turkey, Nilay Kılınç and Russell King provide a nuanced perspective on this phenomenon. Its compelling narrative captures the reader's interest, presenting a comprehensive picture of the motivations behind the return of German-Turkish second-generation migrants. These motivations include economic incentives, opportunities for higher education, lifestyle changes, feelings of nostalgia and the desire for emancipation. The book combines rigorous research with engaging storytelling, making it not only informative but also a pleasure to read.--Ayhan Kaya, Istanbul Bilgi University