Title: Migration of highly qualified German citizens with Turkish background from Germany to Turkey: socio-political factors and individual motives

Authors: Barbara Pusch; Yaşar Aydın

Addresses: Orient-Institut Istanbul, Susam Sok. 16 D. 8, 34433 Cihangir, Istanbul, Turkey. ' Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut (HWWI), Heimhuder Straße 71, 20148 Hamburg, Germany

Abstract: This article attempts at elucidating the socio-cultural and subjective factors of the emigration of highly qualified German citizens with Turkish background from Germany to Turkey. In doing so, it does not focus only on socio-political aspects, on economic benefits or disadvantages for the sending or the receiving country, but also on individual motives of the emigrants. What motivates highly qualified German citizens with Turkish background to migrate from Germany to Turkey? What kind of strategies do they apply in order to gain ground in the Turkish labour market and in Turkish society? How do they evaluate their accomplished migration to Turkey? These main research questions will be discussed on the basis of recent research results and 12 narrative interviews. The conclusion which this article arrived at is that there are various social-mechanisms and socio-political, economic, cultural as well as personal or psychological factors which motivate highly qualified people to migrate.

Keywords: Turkish-German migration; re-migration; highly qualified migrants; Turkey; Germany; motivation; German citizens.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2012.047082

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2012 Vol.8 No.4, pp.471 - 490

Published online: 14 Aug 2014 *

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