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“Why is integration still associated with us?” : a sociolinguistic perspective on social integration of German-Turkish descendants in Germany
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Kakalic, Yesim (2021) “Why is integration still associated with us?” : a sociolinguistic perspective on social integration of German-Turkish descendants in Germany. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3856263
Abstract
The German media landscape is characterised by discourses of ethnic tension, migration, integration and assimilation in relation to Turkish-Germans (Mueller, 2006; Schneider, 2001) and has led to a stereotypical and negative public image of this very group (Mora, 2009). Such discourses typically construct and portray German-Turks as “the Other”, ultimately intensifying discrimination (Bonfadelli, 2007) and feelings of alienation. This thesis aims to understand how mainstream discourses of German- Turks contribute to this Othering and how they influence the identity construction and sense-making processes of social integration of German-Turks.
To date, little is known about how individuals construct and negotiate social integration discursively. Drawing on over 16 hours of audio- and video-recorded focus group discussions and individual interviews, the study investigates the identity construction of Turkish-Germans against the background of mainstream discourses of social integration and provides insights into the discursive function of social integration. For this purpose, narrative inquiry is adopted to analyse narratives and stories derived from the focus groups. Bucholtz and Hall’s (2005) framework to analyse identity with a sociocultural linguistic approach is used to analyse identities constructed within these narratives.
Findings illustrate that participants construct and negotiate their own (and others’) multiple identities by Othering either “the Germans” or “the Turks” and positioning themselves in relation to these larger groups – sometimes embracing and sometimes rejecting membership in them. What is considered to be “the Other” by participants is constantly shifting throughout the processes of identity construction. This highly dynamic nature of identity construction is closely intertwined with issues of social integration. Moreover, I argue that social integration can be understood as a dynamic, multi-participant, ever-changing and interpretive process that is discursively negotiated by (German-Turkish) individuals. The thesis thus contributes to the large number of quantitative studies investigating social integration. It concludes by proposing some theoretical developments around social integration and identity construction and practical suggestions for impact work in Germany and offering recommendations for future research
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HM Sociology J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics |
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| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Sociolinguistics -- Germany, Immigrants -- Germany, Turks -- Germany, Social integration -- Germany, Belonging (Social psychology) -- Germany | ||||
| Official Date: | December 2021 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
| Theses Department: | Centre for Applied Linguistics | ||||
| Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
| Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
| Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Schnurr, Stephanie, 1975- ; Mann, Steve, 1960- | ||||
| Format of File: | |||||
| Extent: | viii, 292 leaves : illustrations | ||||
| Language: | eng |
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