From Economic to Political Engagement: Analysing the Changing Role of the Turkish Diaspora

In the past, Turkey was a key source country for labour migration to Europe, supplying countries such as Germany and the Netherlands with a wealth of low-skilled labour. The picture today has changed. The flow of immigrants from middle-income Turkey to Europe has subsided, and there is now a large Turkish diaspora, particularly in Germany. Migration dynamics in and from Turkey have changed substantially over the past 60 years, producing a vast diaspora that could be engaged to a greater extent in Turkey’s domestic affairs. There are currently an estimated 3 million Turkish nationals living in the European Union (EU) (Hecker, 2006), with a majority of these (2 million) residing in Germany. While other countries are doing their best to court their diaspora and see what their migrants or even second generation abroad can contribute back home, Turkey has taken a different approach and has a particularly different approach to emigrants. The early years of Turkish migration policy were characterized by a focus on economic remittances and return migration. Turkey now views its diaspora as citizens of Europe, legitimizing Turkey’s claim to EU citizenship. Through the analysis of policies and institutions made in this chapter, we are able to demonstrate this change. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.