(Re)integration Problems Faced by First Generation Turkish Labor Immigrants Who Returned from Germany

Abstract

With the labor agreement signed between Germany and Turkey in 1961, migration from Turkey to Germany increased drastically. As a result, Turkish society extending to the fifth generation exists today in Germany. Most of those who immigrated during this period, went for a short time to earn money. However, in the historical process most of the firstgeneration immigrants lived in Germany for many years. Although the majority of first-generation immigrants return to their homeland within the scope of their retirement plans, the cyclical changes in Germany and the laws to encourage return also had a catalytic effect on their return. Some of the first-generation immigrants’ socialization in their early youth took place in Turkey, and some in Germany. Immigrants returning to Turkey after living in Germany for many years have problems in many areas, from social life to access to public services and bureaucracy. In addition to these problems, their imagination of the homeland carries traces of their homeland perceptions from years ago. The inconsistency of the idea of homeland in the mind with the reality in the homeland after their return also creates some re-integration problems.