Political Participation and Associational Life of Turkish Residents in the Capital of Europe

Abstract

This study addresses the question of the political participation of Turkish immigrants. In general an active participation in the political system of the host country through membership of political parties, through voting, through holding elected office or through civil society activism is considered as almost a sine qua non of complete integration into the host society. The Turkish experience is somewhat puzzling: Turkish immigrants in the European Union tend to have a strong associational life, dense social networks and an important sense of community, which should lead to increased political trust and political involvement. Yet this does not appear to be the case in the Belgian region of Brussels‐Capital. The study discusses (dis)similarities in this context between Turks living in major Western European cities like Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels, and tries to shed further light on the structure of Turkish associational life in Brussels and the issue of political involvement of the Turkish community in the Belgian and European capital.

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