Turkish‐American immigration history and identity formations

Abstract

This study surveys the pattern of Turkish immigration and integration in the United States, and examines Turkish‐American identity formations in the context of American society. The paper begins with an overview of Turkish immigration in the United States by classifying it in three distinctive immigration waves. It then analyzes Turkish‐American struggles for re‐constructing new identities by looking at how Turkish identities in the United States are constructed, maintained, and re‐constructed, and how Turkish‐American ‘meanings’ are negotiated and contested. The study emphasizes the multiplicity, complexity, and contingency of Turkish‐Americanness in regard to Westernness, Middle Easternness, Americanness and Turkishness, and problematizes ethnic labels such as ‘Turkish’ or ‘Turkish‐American’ by showing their multiple, complex, and contingent meanings. The study is based on the author's observations and in‐depth interviews with members of the Turkish‐American community during the last two years in the New York City metropolitan area.

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