Perceived discrimination as a major factor behind one's return to his/her country

What is it about?

We interviewed educated, skilled Turkish migrants who migrated either to Germany and the US, lived in one of these countries for at least five years, and returned to Turkey. We interviewed 40 people who returned from Germany, and 40 people who returned from the US. We tried to understand their reasons for return. We also aimed to see whether their perception of being discriminated in the host country had a role in their return. We saw that for the Turkish people who lived in Germany perceived discrimination was a major reason for return, while it was not a reason for return for those who lived in the US. We tried to explain the difference between these two countries for Turkish migrants.

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Why is it important?

We are living through times when populism and racism is on the rise in many countries. This study, in one sense, documents discrimination from the perspective of those people who are educated, and have high cultural capital. In many hate speeches, we see references to integration problems of migrants who are coming from Muslim-majority countries. In one sense, increasing racism against these groups is rationalized with reference to their low level of integration potential, lack of education, and lack of skills. This study shows that even when the group in question is highly skilled, they are exposed to discrimination because of their ethnic origin, where their ethnic group has become stigmatized.