Samenvatting

The year 2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Turkish migrants settling in the Netherlands. A significant number of Turks, approximately 400,000, currently live in the Netherlands; many are born there, and know Turkey only from visiting it on holiday. Integration has been successful for the majority of the migrants but there is still a sense of double belonging, stuck in between two cultures, that exists among the first- and second-generation Turks. This sense of foreignness really does exist and the main reasons behind this phenomenon are the different social, cultural and economic backgrounds of the Turks, which are considerably different from other migrant groups in the Netherlands. Rejection by the host society led the early guest worker Turks to withdraw and form ‘ethnic niches’. An important means of reducing rejection and promoting integration can be achieved by increasing knowledge about each other between the Dutch and Turk citizens through the formation of cultural and religious institutions. This dissertation outlines the most important facts and describes the backgrounds of the Turkish migrants in the Netherlands as well as the current dominant problems and challenges that the children of these migrants are facing within the framework of ongoing integration. The aim of this study is to measure the degree of loyalty towards Turkey of second-generation Turkish immigrants living in the Netherlands. Therefore, the research question is as follows: ‘What factors influence the children of Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands to feel strongly connected with Turkey, and in what ways can the Dutch government improve its current approach to the social integration of second-generation Turkish immigrants?’ This question is answered by means of desk research and expert interviews. Additionally, the literature review establishes an understanding of why the second-generation Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands feel strongly connected with Turkey. It also provides an overview of the relevant theories included in this study. At the same time, the perspective of the second-generation Turkish migrants is also consulted and considered within this thesis. The findings demonstrate that the majority of second-generation Turkish migrants in the Netherlands are strongly connected to the country of their parents’ origin. It could be argued that the social and political climate of the Netherlands from 2002 onwards has influenced the integration process of this group significantly. More specifically, the negative Dutch attitude toward non-Western Islamic immigrants has led Turkish youth to feel alienated. Finally, Turkey’s increasing engagement with its diaspora in Europe has also made it clear that the Turkish community encompasses divided loyalties. This research has led to the following recommendations that would help the Netherlands improve its current approach to the integration of second-generation Turks. The government should make every effort to foster inclusiveness and diversity. This will combat potential labour market discrimination and decrease the amount of people that feel that they do not belong in Dutch society.

Linkedin: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/onur-karacan