This lecture explores the transnational history of Turkish migrants in Germany. By the 1980s, amid rising racism, neo-Nazis and ordinary Germans blamed Turks for unemployment, criticized their Muslim faith, and argued they could never integrate. In 1983, policymakers enacted a controversial law: paying Turks to leave. Thus commenced one of modern Europe's largest and fastest waves of remigration: within one year, 15% of the migrants—250,000 men, women, and children—returned to Turkey. Their homeland, however, ostracized them as culturally estranged 'Germanized Turks’ (Almancı). Michelle Lynn Kahn highlights migrants’ personal stories, revealing how many felt foreign in two homelands.
Event Details
This is an online event. By registering, you give us a way of providing you with a secure link to the online transmission. You will receive the Zoom link a couple days prior to the lecture.
When: Monday, November 2, 2026
- 7:00 pm EST
Please make sure to sign into Zoom before the event start time (7:00 pm EST) to ensure everything is working properly.
Questions?
Please email wcgs@uwaterloo.ca.