Kurdish, Turkish, German? Identificative integration of Kurds in Germany

Demmrich, Sarah; Arakon, Maya

Abstract

Kurds have often been labelled a disruptive faction within German society by the media and in several studies. However, many studies have a self-identified weakness in the form of radical or small samples that do not adequately represent the Kurdish majority. The present study is the first to be on a German-wide sample of migrants originating from Turkey and their descendants (N = 1201), twelve per cent of which are Kurdish. We ask how their ethnic and religious identities relate to their identificative integration and their acceptance of the norms and values of German mainstream society. The surprising results show that Kurds identify with German society more closely than their non-Kurdish counterparts do and throughout the analyses, a Kurdish identity remains the strongest predictor of a German identity. The results are discussed in terms of identity-shaping narratives, hybrid identities and the heightened integration pressure placed upon Kurds.