A
Over the last sixty years, Turkish immigration to Germany has been a significant phenomenon that has shaped both countries in numerous ways. This paper will examine how Turkish immigrants in Berlin are perceived through food culture, particularly döner kebab. The research question is: How do Middle Easterners in Germany shape perceptions about themselves and other Middle Easterners, and how do these self-perceptions influence the views of non-Middle Eastern Germans? To answer this question, it is first important to understand the historical background of Turkish migration to Germany.
Turkish migration to Germany began with the Labor Recruitment Agreement of 1961, which brought many guest workers to Germany. Initially intended as a temporary measure, this migration became permanent as workers settled and brought their families. Through this process, Turkish immigrants established businesses, including food establishments, which became an important part of German urban culture. The döner kebab, in particular, has become a symbol of Turkish presence in Germany.
This paper will argue that the reduction of Turkish identity to culinary contributions reveals ongoing issues with integration and recognition in German society. The methodology will involve analysis of personal experiences, historical documents, and contemporary social discourse. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on immigrant identity and cultural integration in Europe.
B
Despite extensive scholarship on Turkish immigration in Germany, our understanding of how cultural recognition operates in everyday urban spaces remains fundamentally flawed. The widely accepted framework that equates visibility with integration has obscured a more troubling phenomenon: the way seemingly positive acknowledgments of Turkish contributions to German society actually reinforce patterns of exclusion. This oversight has significant consequences for both migration theory and integration policy. While scholars have documented the economic impact of Turkish labor migration (Author Year), they have failed to recognize how celebratory discourses about Turkish food culture—particularly in Berlin—paradoxically serve to legitimize deeper forms of structural marginalization. This analytical gap is especially concerning given mounting evidence that cultural recognition policies across Western Europe consistently mistake surface visibility for meaningful inclusion. By examining how Turkish immigrants in Berlin navigate and contest these contradictory forms of recognition, this study challenges dominant theoretical assumptions about cultural integration that continue to shape both academic discourse and policy decisions. The stakes of this theoretical intervention extend beyond migration studies, offering crucial insights for scholars grappling with questions of recognition, urban belonging, and the persistent legacies of guest worker programs in contemporary Europe.
C
Media coverage of Turkish immigrant success stories in Germany continues to miss a crucial and troubling pattern: the more we celebrate döner kebab as a symbol of multicultural Berlin, the more we inadvertently reinforce harmful stereotypes about Turkish immigrants. While food journalists and cultural commentators have extensively covered Berlin’s vibrant Turkish food scene, this feel-good narrative obscures a concerning reality that threatens to undermine authentic reporting on immigrant communities. The widely-circulated story of döner kebab as proof of successful integration not only misrepresents the complex experiences of Turkish-Germans but actively hampers journalists’ ability to accurately portray contemporary urban dynamics. This investigation reveals how seemingly positive coverage can perpetuate outdated tropes, offering media professionals new frameworks for reporting on immigrant communities that avoid these common pitfalls. At stake is not just the accuracy of cultural journalism, but our ability to meaningfully convey how urban communities actually negotiate identity and belonging in contemporary Germany.