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In the ongoing debate on immigrant integration policies, the Sinus study on migrant milieus has attracted much attention for its clear stance as a proponent of a multicultural society. Brushing aside arguments about an ethnic-religious divide in the German social fabric, the study argues that social milieus constitute much stronger markers of difference than ethnicity. This paper provides a critical appraisal of the postethnic vision articulated by Sinus. However, it also raises some methodological issues concerning the collection and analysis of data on immigrant populations. The concluding section discusses the limits of a politics of difference based on milieus. It questions the potential of the Sinus study to move the German immigration debate forward towards a more democratic vision of citizenship, given its de-emphasis of social inequalities rooted in relations of gender, 'race' and class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Because of the increasing importance of immigration for Germany due to the ageing population and the lack of highly skilled in some industries, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the return-migration of German immigrants. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses the German Socio-economic Panel to conduct an event-history analysis of return-migration. Findings - The analysis reveals that return migration is heavily influenced by country of origin. Individuals from countries with free labour movement agreements with Germany show a considerably higher likelihood of leaving Germany relative to the other countries. The main finding is, with respect to the self-selection process, that highly skilled are more likely to remigrate than those who are less skilled. In addition, the results give substantial information considering the design of German immigration policy. Originality/value - This paper conducts the first remigration analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model with years of residence as waiting time. Using the latest data, with respect to qualification, a positive self-selection of remigrants was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany, France, and the Netherlands have pursued different types of integration policies. Using data from a mixed method study, this paper investigates whether and how these differences have affected the settlement country and ethnic identification of the children of Turkish immigrants. The results indicate that integration policies do not affect ethnic identification, but an inclusive policy has a positive impact on settlement country identification. Multicultural policies do not seem to have any effect. Despite processes of exclusion and self-exclusion in all three countries, our respondents have developed a strong connection to their settlement country and in particular to their place of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of their migration, Turkish migrants (TMs) have formed numerous civic organizations of diverse types in Germany. Various studies have examined the social, economic, and political situation of Turkish migrants in Germany over the past fifteen years. A gap persists concerning the role of Turkish migrants' umbrella organizations (TMUOs) as antiracist organizations and representatives of the Turkish migrant community. While they establish relations with German political parties, trade unions, and municipal authorities, it is unclear whether such interactions are motivated by TMUOs' interest in promoting tolerance toward the diversity of Turkish migrants in Germany. Combining approaches from organizational sociology and migration research, this article aims to generate an empirically founded knowledge of TMUOs and how they have reacted to various German policies of acculturation. It is specifically concerned with: (1) the aims and activities of TMUOs; (2) the role and function of these organizations as representatives of the Turkish population; (3) the methods and strategies that TMUOs use to influence the German policy and public in order to eliminate racism toward Turkish migrants; and (4) the possibilities available to them to promote antiracism in Germany. The article shows that many organizations were established because of social, economic, and political discrimination against TMs in Germany. It shows that TMUOs are involved in activities to support TM integration into the German society as well as in defensive moves to protect them from discrimination. My main argument is that TMUOs' efforts to support the integration of TMs into the German society have generally been ignored. These organizations are excluded in many cases from negotiations with the government and thus have limited impact on the growth of Turkish minority rights in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]