HOW DO IMMIGRANTS CHANGE SOCIETY? Engin Erkiner
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HOW DO IMMIGRANTS CHANGE SOCIETY? Engin Erkiner
The immigrant is a minority in the society he enters; over time it changes society, but at a greater rate it changes itself. Resistance to change is twofold. The immigrant becomes introverted, lives together with those who come from his country, and may hardly change for years. may not get used to it. For example, this problem could be seen clearly when the generation with Nazi culture was alive in Germany.
They were called foreigners, not immigrants.
In the 1980s, the newly formed Greens were generally Germans from the movement had a poster saying: Foreigners, don't leave us alone with these Germans!
Change comes with children going to school Or it will start with the second generation. This change may also occur with major problems.
For example, in Germany, Turkish children who started primary school in the 1980s generally They did not know German. They were not sent to kindergarten by their families to save money. It is impossible for this child to be successful and they are soon sent to Sonderschule, also known as the "school for the retarded".
The education system in Germany was not prepared with immigrants in mind, therefore it excludes those who do not speak German starting from childhood. Some teachers send as many immigrant students as they can to these schoolsthey send it. Anyone who goes to this school has no chance of receiving a good education later. Immigrant children are pushed to the margins of society starting from a young age. Parents can't do anything because they can't explain their problems to the teachers because they don't speak German.
To give a well-known example: Uğur Şahin, who found one of the types of the Corona vaccine with his wife Özlem Türeci, came to Germany as a worker's child at a young age. When he is about to be sent to Sonderschule from primary school, a German neighbor intervenes and tells the teacher that the child is smart, they probably argue and Uğur Şahin can continue normal education.
German society has proudly adopted these two names as their own scientists. Thirty years ago this was not possible. It is difficult to give a general answer to the question of how the immigrant changes the society he enters.
Which type? Which society did the immigrant come to?
For example, it is important that immigrants and settled people are of the same religion, their harmony is < /span>has a facilitating effect. Since the Germans are not a people who attach importance to religion, the fact that Turks are Muslims has not been a major problem. However, incompatibilities have emerged due to the characteristics of the religion. For example, while it was a problem that animals were slaughtered without anesthesia during Eid al-Adha, another problem was that women were kept in the background.
In Turkey For Syrians, who constitute the largest immigrant group, religion is not an obstacle to adaptation to the society they live in. The historical anti-Arab sentiment among the Turks - they shot us from behind in the First World War - is an important obstacle.
Who came to which society?
How will immigrants change and how? What will change depends on answering the question of these two together.
In the next article, the children of Turkish workers in Germany – the second generation I will try to explain why they are called the "lost generation" by giving examples from their lives, especially in the 1980s.
