As the largest national group of guest workers in Germany, the Turks became a visible presence in local neighborhoods and schools and had diverse social, cultural, and religious needs. Focusing on West Berlin, explores the history of Turkish immigrants and their children from the early days of their participation in the post-war guest worker program to the formation of multi-generational communities. Based on her Fritz Stern Prize-winning dissertation, the book uses both German and Turkish sources to help uncover how the first and second generations created spaces of belonging for themselves within and alongside West German society, while also highlighting the factors that influenced that process, from individual agency and community dynamics to larger institutional factors such as educational policy and city renovation projects.

Sarah Thomsen Vierra’s introduction (available for download above) was published by Cambridge University Press in the Publications of the German Historical Institute series. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Sarah Thomsen Vierra 2018. The title is also available for purchase on the Cambridge website.