Democracy and Identity

An Empirical Study on Attitudes of German Turks in the Global Society and its Implications for Learning

von Emmer Demorel

412 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

This study examines the world-society orientations of immigrants of Turkish origin living in Germany and how they position themselves regarding their political participation. A reconstructive-qualitative and, thus, hypothesis-generating approach was chosen to address the research question. Twenty-two interviews were conducted with immigrants of Turkish origin living in Bavaria, Germany. The interviews were analyzed using the documentary method, and the results were condensed by inductive typification and generalized towards a cosmopolitan education theory. The interviews provided numerous insights into the world-society-oriented habitus of migrants from Turkey. It was possible to reconstruct a basic typology (“sociality-related self-efficacy expectation”) against the background of which different types in the perception of and dealings with the world emerge. Thus, various forms of how self-efficacy is attained through social mechanisms become visible. Six different comparison horizons could be reconstructed: (1) cultural orientation, (2) spatial orientation, (3) participation and involvement, (4) perception of the change of time and learning, (5) validity of knowledge, and (6) social self-positioning. These comparative horizons led to a sense-genetic typing, which is dimensioned along four ideal types of how self-efficacy is attained via social mechanisms: - as authoritarian allegiance in the mode of mono-perspectival power - as bridging duality in the mode of harmonizing dialogue - as dealing with fragmentation in the mode of searching for belonging and recognition, and - as social self-assignment in the mode of discursivity. A wealth of insights was generated with this typing. The basic typology refers to the importance of recognition already described in the scientific discourse. At the same time, the description of the comparative horizons and the different ideal types makes clear what the neuralgic points for social recognition are. At the same time, this also reveals the complexity of pedagogical interventions. The results clarify the role of the perception of cultural pluralism, also in the country of origin, in avoiding mono-perspectival essentialization of cultural orientations. The findings show that democracy-related aspects of cosmopolitanism (e.g., experience of pluralism, attribution of meaning to human rights) are associated in both societies with experiences of pluralism or, in the case of majority experiences about Turkey, with their rejection. The observed seeking of harmony and the importance of discourse is a phenomenon that affects not only personal life but all areas of life. On the one hand, the cosmopolitanism experience is related to a sense of social recognition. On the other hand, most cosmopolitan experiences are primarily limited to purely close-up experiences. This leads to a lack of abstract social reflection and problems for democracy recognition. The results also point to the limited impact of learning experiences in moderating openness to the world society and democratic participation. The study also points to the limited impact of schools in moderating openness to the world-society and democratic participation. Against this background, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

• Reihe: Schriften aus der Fakultät Humanwissenschaften der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg
• Themen: Gesellschaft und Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik / Erziehungswissenschaften Bildungsstrategien und -politik
• ISBN: 9783989890367
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 25.04.2025
• Größe: 21 x 14.8 cm
• Verlag: University of Bamberg Press