Reconsidering Multidirectional Dynamics of GermanTurkish Migration Relations: German Construction Workers in Ankara between 1924-1925

Abstract

German-Turkish migration relations are usually discussed in the context of Turkish labor migration to Germany beginning in the 1960s. This article highlights a largely forgotten counter-movement: the recruitment of 40 to 60 German construction workers and engineers by the Ankara city administration in 1924/1925 to help build Türkiye’s new capital. The analysis shows that this migration was not driven by individual “push” or “pull” factors, but functioned as part of a state-controlled, symbolically charged modernization project. The case is situated within the field of tension between bureaucratic selectivity, prestige migration, and institutional continuity in German-Turkish relations. It illustrates how labor migration was intertwined with foreign policy interests, national prestige, and diplomatic crisis management. Furthermore, it adds a multidirectional perspective to historiographical migration research and demonstrates how migration could serve as an instrument of national representation just as quickly as it could be restricted. Overall, the case exemplifies the ambivalence of modern migration regimes.