32 TURKEY’S DIASPORA IN

32 TURKEY’S DIASPORA IN A Transnational Community Divided between Transnational Integration and Distant-Nationalism Aydm Introduction The history of Turkey’s diaspora in Germany dates back to the 1960s when large cmigraüon wavcs from Turkey to Germany took place after the signing of a guest-workcr agreement be tween the two States in 1961 Today thcre are more than 3 million people of Turkish1 ong. [...] The ( a “labour diaspora” in that it also carnes the charactenstics of a “cultural (hybrid) diaspora,” approaches of the Turkish government towaids Turks in Germany can be held up as a typical ex- (' according to thc diaspora typology put forward by Robin Cohen (1997 178) amplc of diaspora policy - thc Turkish government encourages Turks in Germany to maintain so- y f Although initially intended t. [...] of Turks with dual nationality is cstimatcd at 530,596 (DeStatis 2021) 462 463 'Yamr Aydin Twrkefs Diaspora m Germany Key Features ofthe Turkish Diaspora vocal at the AKP’s decision to convcrt Hagia Sophia4 into a mosque in 2020 and at its Sup port of Azcrbaijan against Armenia in a 2020 war between the two countnes 5 As die discussion in the previous section shows, die ‘Turkish diaspora’ in Germ. [...] This group romanticises and It is known that the approximate 96,000 Turfash enticpreneurs in Germany provide em- idealises Turkey and reacts strongly to any cnticism of Turkey and its leadership Right-wmg ployment to around 500,000 peoplc and represent an annual turnover of approximately 50 ultranationahsm7 is also strongly represented among the Turkish diaspora in Germany, organ- billion euros Th. [...] Counter-mobilisation 2013, the failed mihtary coup of July 15, 2016, and the response of the Turfash government After the failure of the pcacc negotiations between the government and the Kurdish Work- to the resolution adopted by the German federal government dcclanng the mass fallings of ers’ Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistane, PKK), the PKK resumed its terronsm campaign, Armemans by the Ottoman.