This talk will be based on qualitative research on return migration that explains, among other things, discrimination perceptions of Turkish qualified migrants who returned from Germany and the United States to Turkey, and the impact of perceived discrimination on their return. It depends on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 80 qualified Turkish returnees. The findings indicate that returnees from Germany think they experienced ethnic discrimination, and discrimination is a major reason behind their return to Turkey, while the returnees from the US did not mention discrimination as a defining characteristic of their migration experience or as a reason for return.
We discuss these findings and explain the differences between German and American contexts in terms of ethnic boundaries. We use Alba’s (2005) distinction between bright and blurry ethnic boundaries to explain the difference between the two countries. However, going beyond his argument, we also connect this distinction to cultural capital. We argue that in a context where there are bright ethnic boundaries, high cultural capital does not free the individual from experiences of discrimination, whereas it can make a difference in a context where there are blurry ethnic boundaries. Qualified migrants choose to return from contexts where there are bright ethnic boundaries to escape from experiences of discrimination, as they can afford return due to their high levels of cultural and economic capital.
At the end of the talk, there will also be a discussion on the remigration intentions of returnees especially due to the current political situation in Turkey.