Politics, Symbolics and Facts: Migration Policies and Family Migration from Turkey to Germany

Politics, Symbolics and Facts: Migration Policies and Family Migration from Turkey to Germany Can M. AYBEK* Abstract This paper aims to combine an overview of the Immigration Act in 2005, this idea was how in the last five decades immigration policies replaced by a perspective that acknowledged developed in Germany with illustrations of how the fact of immigration, but at the same regulations for family migration changed in the time sought to steer and limit migration and same period. The demographic figures presented facilitate integration processes. indicate that, although many political attempts have been made to restrict family migration from Turkey to Germany, the inflow of spouses Keywords and children has continued as a normal part of migration dynamics between both countries. Germany, Turkey, migration, Turkish Based on these observations, the main immigrants, immigration policy, policy argument of this paper is that the political goals, family, unification, spousal migration. debate concerning regulating and restricting (family) migration to Germany that took place 1 from the 1960s until the early 2000s contained Introduction important elements of symbolic politics that were predominantly used to highlight and The immigration of close family preserve the idea that Germany was not an members of both legally resident immigration country. After the adoption of foreigners and German citizens to Germany is regulated by law. Rights * Dr. Can M. Aybek is with the German Federal concerning family life are not only Institute for Population Research, Wiesbaden, Germany. Can Aybek was a research associate protected by international human rights at the Universities of Bremen and Siegen and conventions, but in the case of Germany a fellow of the Bremen International Graduate are contained in the codified basic School of Social Sciences. His research interests rights. According to article 6.1 of the include integration processes of second/ third generation descendants of immigrants German constitution, the Grundgesetz, in Western Europe and North America. Dr. marriage and the family enjoy the special Aybek is an associate member of IMISCOE protection of the state. This rights-based (European Network of Excellence of International Migration, Integration & Social perspective, however, has been contested Cohesion). by political initiatives taken since the 37 PERCEPTIONS, Summer 2012, Volume XVII, Number 2, pp. 37-59. Can M. Aybek beginning of the labour recruitment in since the 1960s, with a special focus on the 1950s, and regulations subsequently the debate concerning how to regulate introduced to restrict family migration.2 the immigration of family members of This paper aims to combine an already resident immigrants. The analyses overview of how in the last five decades of these political and legal developments immigration policies developed in are complemented by statistical figures Germany with illustrations of how that shed light on how the demographic regulations for family migration changed characteristics of the Turkish immigrant in the same period. The demographic community in Germany changed during figures presented indicate that, although this period. In the last part of the paper many political attempts have been made certain findings are recapitulated and to restrict family migration from Turkey discussed with respect to the question to Germany, the inflow of spouses and of whether the political debates children has continued as a normal part about (family) migration to Germany of migration dynamics between both contained symbolic elements and, if so, countries. Based on these observations, how these can be described. the main argument of this paper is that the political debate concerning regulating Defining Symbolic Politics and restricting (family) migration to Germany that took place from the 1960s The concept of ‘symbolic politics’ was until the early 2000s contained important introduced to political science literature elements of symbolic politics that were by Murray J. Edelman as early as the predominantly used to highlight and 1960s.3 Edelman was a follower of the preserve the idea that Germany was interpretative/interactionist school of not an immigration country. After social sciences.4 His work focuses on the adoption of the Immigration Act the social and psychological processes in 2005, this idea was replaced by a that drive the behaviour of political perspective that acknowledged the fact actors who want to influence and shape of immigration, but at the same time public opinion. Edelman argues that sought to steer and limit migration and political behaviour entails adopting facilitate integration processes. certain roles and communicating certain The paper starts off with some remarks ideas through the usage of rhetorical on the nature and functions of symbolic or gestural symbols. A typical example politics. These theoretical considerations of symbolic politics is the rhetoric are followed by the main parts of the developed by Barack Obama and his paper that outline major developments advisors around the phrase “yes, we can” in German immigration policy-making during the 2008 presidential campaign 38 Migration Policies and Family Migration from Turkey to Germany in the U.S. Another prime example, in symbolic politics will be preferred that gestural terms, is the genuflection of refers to the strategic use of a symbolic the German Chancellor Willy Brandt repertoire in political communication during his visit to Poland in 1970 in that may fulfill different functions:6 remembrance of the uprising in the - Symbols may be used in order to Warsaw ghetto during the period of Nazi attract attention to a specific issue occupation. by employing certain metaphors and Political actors use symbols in order to gestures in political interaction, hence condense and simplify certain messages making it worthwhile for media to they want to communicate. According report about it. to Edelman, most political issues are too - Symbols can be important in order to complex for the majority of the people, reduce complexity by using a certain i.e., a full comprehension of the matters rhetorical figure to condense and would require expert knowledge that outline the most important features of an average person does not possess and a topic. cannot acquire. From this viewpoint democratic elections constitute rituals - Symbolic politics is not just about during which an intense use of symbolic naming a certain issue and thus place language is made. Elections at the same them on a political agenda, but it is also time endow political actors with the about competing with other political legitimacy needed for their subsequent actors on how to frame a certain issue actions. Symbolic elements in politics are and define its content. hence a part of the struggle for political - Symbolic politics addresses issues not power. necessarily on a rational level, but For Edelman there is a dualism in often appeals to emotions. political life that consists of a theater-like In the context of migration research stage on which political actors perform the term ‘symbolic politics’ has their symbolic acts and a backstage previously been employed by Thomas where the ‘real’ bargaining processes Faist in his analyses on developments take place. Other authors contend, of the citizenship acquisition regime in however, that symbolic politics is not, Germany.7 He denotes that “symbolic as Edelman implies, about deceiving the politics can be defined as the shift of a public, but is a natural part of political problem from substantive policies to communication.5 argumentative strategies and symbolic In this paper the latter approach is performances” and adds that this type of adopted and a broader definition of politics “is not directly concerned with 39 Can M. Aybek the problems to be solved, but rather on the German side were primarily the often consists of simplistic arguments Ministry of Labour and, in a secondary and vague allusions to means-end sense, the Ministry of Trade. Responsible relationships in the proposed policies”.8 for accomplishing operative duties, i.e., the selection of workers and recruitment The aim in this paper is to broaden this processes, was the German Office for perspective from the issue of citizenship Labour that opened up branches in the acquisition to the political debate countries of origin of the workers and in Germany on immigration policy cooperated with the national institutions in general and the debate about the there.9 immigration of close family members – spouses and children in particular. In the 1960s policies concerning In the following parts, therefore, the accommodating the arriving workers major developments in German policy- in Germany were inconsistent and 10 making and political debates in the even contradictory. Initially, the area of immigration will be outlined in overall goal was to facilitate foreign chronological succession. labour circulation, and no alternative perspectives existed on how to regulate immigration and integration. From the 1960-1989: Dominance beginning, German immigration policy of the “No-Immigration- was characterized by a strong utilitarian Country” Paradigm perspective: labour from abroad was expected to contribute to the economy Labour migration to West and had to be disposable if necessary.11 Germany began after the mid 1950s The recruitment agreement between when agreements were signed with Turkey and Germany did not contain Mediterranean countries that aimed any regulation of family

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