by Michelle Rosenthal, David Peyton, Henriette Rytz
We timidly entered the corner grocery store, perusing through rows of Turkish goods while attempting to look as natural as possible. We were on a mission, but not for delicious döner kebab or freshly fried falafel. The prize we sought was a fifty-five year old man sitting at a table sipping a glass of tea and smoking a cigarette. We approached him and asked if he would answer a few questions from our survey. “What do you want to know?” he asked gruffly. We explained that we were interested in the political participation of Turkish migrants, that we were wondering if he had ever been politically active in Germany. He stared us in the eye for a moment and then motioned quickly to the storeowner. “Three teas please. I am a very political man and I will now tell you about it.”
For the next thirty minutes our newfound companion regaled us with stories ranging from Berlin local politics to the longstanding disputes between Jews, Christians and Muslims. What we learned is that while the Turkish community in Germany may seem absent for politics, they are a politically concerned people who have thus far lacked the means to obtain a common political voice. This lack of representation stems from a complex combination of socio-economic, educational, and identity issues. Our research attempts to explain why political mobilization has proven to be so difficult for the migrant community in Germany as well as examine the different ways in which migrants are able to engage in the political process.
When people of migrant backgrounds do become politically involved, it occurs in three primary capacities: engagement in the political and cultural concerns of their country of origin, engagement in issues concerning the local minority communities in Germany, and engagement in mainstream German politics concerning issues of immigration and integration. Participation varies according to generation, as well as education and socio-economic status, all of which affect the extent to which people of migrant descent feel accepted within German society.
Humanity in Action: A Very Long Engagement – Why Migrants Have Not Yet Married Themselves to the German Political System [pdf, 17 S., 52 KB]