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Austrian Turks
Avusturya Türk günü1.jpg
Turkish day in Vienna, Austria (2009)
Total population
Austrians of Turkish origin:
360,000[1] to over 500,000[2][3][4]
(2010/11 estimates)
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Religion

Turks in Austria, also referred to as Turkish Austrians and Austrian Turks, (German: Türken in Österreich; Turkish: Avusturya'daki Türkler) are people of Turkish ethnicity living in Austria. They form the largest ethnic minority group in the country; thus, the Turks are the second largest ethnic group in the Austria after the ethnic Austrian people. The majority of Austrian Turks descend from the Republic of Turkey; however there has also been significant Turkish migration from other post-Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Austria from the Balkans (especially from Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Romania), the island of Cyprus, and more recently Iraq and Syria.

History[edit]

Turkish migration from the Republic of Turkey[edit]

Turkish people were recruited to Austria as Gastarbeiter (guest workers) for the construction and export industries following an agreement with the Turkish government in 1964. From 1973 the policy of encouraging guest workers ended and restrictive immigration laws were introduced, first with the 1975 Aliens Employment Act, setting quotas on work permits, and then the 1992 Residence Act, which set quotas for residency permits without the right to work. A more restrictive system was put in place in 1997 and further limits imposed in 2006.

Since the 1970s Turks living and working in Austria have focused on family reunification and on seeking Austrian citizenship, for which they need to have lived in Austria for 10 years.

Turkish day in Vienna, Austria (2009).

Turkish migration from the Balkans[edit]

Bulgaria[edit]

Initially, Turkish Bulgarians came to Austria after fleeing the height of the Bulgarisation policies in the late 1980s, known as the so-called "Revival Process", when the communist ruler Todor Zivkov introduced an assimilation campaign in which Turks were forced to change their Turkish names for Bulgarian names, followed by the banning of the Turkish language and ethnic cleansing. Approximately 1,000 Turkish Bulgarians took refuge in Austria where they have since stayed permanently.[5]

The social network of the first wave of political emigration of Turkish Bulgarians became the basis of labour migration to Western Europe after the collapse of the totalitarian regime in Bulgaria in late 1989. Thus, the preservation of kinship has opened an opportunity for many Turkish Bulgarian to continue to migrate to Western Europe, especially to Austria, Germany and Sweden.[6]

More recently, once Bulgaria became a member of the European Union during the 2007 enlargement, the number of Turkish Bulgarian migrants in Austria increased further due to their freedom of movement rights as EU citizens. Thus, Turkish Bulgarian emigration to Austria in the twenty-first century has been dictated by the economic situation and the stagnation of the labour market in Bulgaria.[6]

In the 2010s, the Turkish-dominated Movement for Rights and Freedoms political party in Bulgaria has been mobalising hundreds of Turkish Bulgarians in Austria, Germany and Spain.[7]

Greece[edit]

There have been several waves of migration from the Turkish minority of Western Thrace to Western Europe, including to Austria.[8] The first wave of Turkish Western Thracian migration occurred between 1970-2010 due to political and economic reasons; this was followed by a signifcantly larger wave beween 2010-18 due to the Greek government-debt crisis.[9]

Romania[edit]

Between 2002 and 2011 there was a significant decrease in the population of the Turkish Romanian minority group due to the admission of Romania into the European Union and the subsequent relaxation of the travelling and migration regulations. Hence, Turkish Romanians, especially from the Dobruja region, have joined other Romanian citizens (e.g. ethnic Romanians, Tatars, etc.) in migrating mostly to Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and the UK.[10]

Yugoslavia[edit]

The ethnic Turkish minorities in Yugoslavia (especially Turkish Kosovars and Turkish Macedonians)[11] joined other Yugoslav guest workers (i.e. Albanians, Bosnians, Serbs etc.) who migrated to Austria in the 1960s and the early 1970s and later brought their families.

Turkish migration from the Levant[edit]

Cyprus[edit]

The majority of the Turkish Cypriots left the island of Cyprus due to economic and political reasons in the 20th century. Traditionally, most who migrated to Western Europe settled in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Austria.[12] The majority of Turkish Cypriots in Austria arrived after 1974, following the coup d'état by the Greek military junta and then the reactionary Turkish invasion of the island.[12] More recently, with the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, Turkish Cypriots have had the freedom of movement rights to live and work across the European Union, including in Austria, as EU citizens.

Syria[edit]

Thousands of Syrian Turks, alongside ethnic Arabs, Syrian Kurds and other minority groups in Syria, fleeing the Syrian civil war, came to Austria during the European migrant crisis of 2014–2015 as Syrian refugees. This mass migration accelerated on 4 September 2015, when Chancellor Werner Faymann of Austria, in conjunction with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, announced that migrants would be allowed to cross the border from Hungary into Austria and Germany.[13]

Population[edit]

The Yunus-Emre-Fountain, located in the Türkenschanzpark [de] ("Turkish Entrenchment Park"), Währing, was gifted to Austria by the Republic of Turkey in 1991.

The Turkish Austrian community is made up of ethnic Turkish people who have migrated from Turkey and their Austrian-born descendants as well as ethnic Turkish communities which originate from the Balkans (especially from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania) and the Levant (mainly from Cyprus and Syria). Consequently, official statistics published by the Austrian state does not provide a true reflection of people who self-identify fully, or partially, as Turkish because citizens in Austria are not given the opportunity to declare their ethnicity in official censuses.

In 2010 Ariel Muzicant said that the Turks in Austria already numbered 400,000.[1] A report by the Initiative Minderheiten suggested a lower figure of 360,000 people of Turkish origin in 2011,[1] which was also been echoed by the former Austrian Foreign Minister and current Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz.[14] Another estimate by the former Austrian MEP, Andreas Mölzer, has claimed that there are 500,000 Turks in the country.[3] Similarly, report by The Guardian in 2011 said that the Turkish community in Austria outnumbers the 500,000 British Turks.[4]

Notable people[edit]

See also: List of Turkish Austrians

  • Cem Atan, football player

  • Vahide Aydın, politican

  • Turhan Bey, actor

  • Ekrem Dağ, football player

  • Yusuf Demir, football player

  • Efgani Dönmez [de], politican

  • Hikmet Ersek, CEO of Western Union

  • Oğuz Galeli [de], actor

  • Emel Heinreich, actress, author and film-director

  • Veli Kavlak, football player

  • Alev Korun, politican

  • Murathan Muslu [de], actor

  • Ferhan & Ferzan Önder, pianists

  • Ramazan Özcan, football player

  • Yasin Pehlivan, football player

  • Fatima Spar [de], jazz musician

  • Nurten Yılmaz [de], politican

  • Selma Yildirim, politican

See also[edit]

  • List of Turkish Austrians
  • Austria–Turkey relations
  • Turks in Europe
    • Turks in Germany
    • Turks in Hungary
    • Turks in Italy
    • Turks in Liechtenstein
    • Turks in Switzerland

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Warum die Türken? (PDF), 78, Initiative Minderheiten, 2011, Was sind die Gründe für dieses massive Unbehagen angesichts von rund 360.000 Menschen türkischer Herkunft?
  2. ^ Weiss, Alexia. "Erheblicher Anstieg antisemitischer Vorfälle in Wien". Jüdische Allgemeine. Retrieved 3 November 2020. Muzicant wandte sich am Donnerstag in einem Brief an alle Gemeindemitglieder. Er sichert darin Hilfe der IKG zu und ruft alle, die Opfer solcher Übergriffe werden, auf, sich bei der Kultusgemeinde zu melden und Anzeige bei der Polizei zu erstatten. »Wir dürfen nicht zulassen, dass der Antisemitismus jetzt auf die 400.000 in Österreich lebenden Türken übergreift.«
  3. ^ a b Mölzer, Andreas. "In Österreich leben geschätzte 500.000 Türken, aber kaum mehr als 10–12.000 Slowenen". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Travis, Alan (1 August 2011). "UK immigration analysis needed on Turkish legal migration, say MPs". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2011. The Home Office says that there are about 150,000 Turkish nationals living in Britain at present, with about 500,000 people of Turkish origin living in the country altogether. But Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and France all have larger Turkish communities which are more likely to attract a new wave of legal migration.
  5. ^ Borovska, Milena (2011), Eine Minderheit in der Minderheit, Die Presse, retrieved 8 May 2021 CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^ a b Maeva, Mila (2011), "Миграция и мобилност на българските турци – преселници в края на ХХ и началото на ХХІ век", Миграции от двете страни на българо-турската граница: наследства, идентичности, интеркултурни взаимодействия., Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, pp. 49–50, ISBN 978-954-8458-41-2
  7. ^ Paunova, Polina (2014), ДПС мобилизира за изборите стотици гастарбайтери в Западна Европа, Media Pool, retrieved 8 May 2021 CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. ^ Avrupa'da Batı Trakya Batı Trakya Türkleri Gerçeği ve Avrupa Batı Trakya Türk Federasyonu, Avrupa Batı Trakya Türk Federasyonu, retrieved 8 May 2021, Avustralya ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Kanada gibi uzak ülkelerin dışında aralarında Hollanda, İngiltere, İsveç, Fransa, Belçika ve Avusturya gibi ülkelerde de sayısı yadsınamayacak bir Batı Trakyalı Türk kitlesi yaşamaktadır. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. ^ Arif, Nazmi (2018), Yunanistan'da, Batı Trakya Türklerinin dış ülkelere göçü endişe ve kaygı verici boyutlara ulaştı., TRT, archived from the original on 14 February 2021, retrieved 12 November 2020
  10. ^ Catalina Andreea, Mihai (2016), Cultural resilience or the Interethnic Dobrujan Model as a Black Sea alternative to EuroIslam in the Romanian Turkish-Tatar community, University of Bergamo, p. 150
  11. ^ Avusturya‘da yaşayan Kosovalılar, Balkanlara daha fazla Türk okulu istiyor, Beyaz Gazete, 2011, retrieved 8 May 2021 CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  12. ^ a b Yurtdışındaki Kıbrıslı Türk sayısı 645 bin, Kıbrıs Postası, 2015, retrieved 13 February 2021 CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link).
  13. ^ Rick Lyman; Anemona Hartocollis & Alison Smale (4 September 2015). "Migrants Cross Austria Border From Hungary". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2015. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. ^ Turkey angry after Erdogan is told he can't campaign in Austria, The Local, 2017, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Erdogan is "not welcome" to hold campaign events, adding that it would "increase friction" in Austria and prevent the integration of a 360,000-strong minority of Turkish origin.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Abadan-Unat, Nermin (1976), Turkish Workers in Europe 1960-1975: A Socio-economic Reappraisal, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-04478-7.
  • Abbott, John S. C. (2007), The Empire of Austria: Its Rise and Present Power, BiblioBazaar, ISBN 978-1-4264-9252-5.
  • Ache, Peter (2008), Cities Between Competitiveness and Cohesion: Discourses, Realities and Implementation, Springer, ISBN 978-1-4020-8240-5.
  • Akgündüz, Ahmet (2008), Labour Migration from Turkey to Western Europe, 1960-1974: A Multidisciplinary Analysis, Ashgate Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7546-7390-3.
  • Bauböck, Rainer (2006), Migration and Citizenship: Legal Status, Rights and Political Participation, Amsterdam University Press, ISBN 90-5356-888-3.
  • Bhatia, Tej K.; Ritchie, William C. (2006), The Handbook of Bilingualism, Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 0-631-22735-0.
  • Boswell, Christina; Royal Institute of International Affairs (2003), European Migration Policies in Flux: Changing Patterns of Inclusion and Exclusion, Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 1-4051-0296-9.
  • Dana, Leo Paul (2008), Handbook of Research on Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship: A Co-evolutionary View on Resource Management, Edward Elgar Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84542-733-7.
  • Frejka, Tomaš; Hoem, Jan Michael; Toulemon, Laurent; Sobotka, Tomáš (2008), Childbearing Trends and Policies in Europe, Books on Demand, ISBN 978-3-8370-6187-1.
  • Hunter, Shireen (2002), Islam, Europe's Second Religion: The New Social, Cultural, and Political Landscape, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-275-97609-2.
  • Kasaba, Reşat (2008), The Cambridge History of Turkey: Volume 4, Turkey in the Modern World, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-62096-3.
  • Kohl, Katrin Maria; Robertson, Ritchie (2006), A History of Austrian Literature 1918-2000, Boydell & Brewer, ISBN 1-57113-276-7.
  • Martin, Philip L.; Weil, Patrick (2006), Managing Migration: The Promise of Cooperation, Lexington Books, ISBN 0-7391-1341-0.
  • Matzka, Christian (2009), Austria and Turkey: their burden of histories (PDF), http://www.herodot.net/: University of Vienna
  • Nielsen, Jørgen S. (2004), Muslims in Western Europe, Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1844-9.
  • Nikolov, Marianne; Curtain, Helena (2000), An Early Start: Young Learners and Modern Languages in Europe and Beyond, Council of Europe, ISBN 92-871-4411-7.
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2008), International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI 2008, OECD Publishing, ISBN 978-92-64-04565-1.
  • Panayi, Panikos (1999), Outsiders: A History of European Minorities, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 1-85285-179-1.
  • Plender, Richard (1988), International Migration Law, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, ISBN 90-247-3604-8.
  • Potz, Richard; Wieshaider, Wolfgang (2004), Islam and the European Union, Peeters Publishers, ISBN 90-429-1445-9.
  • Statistik Austria (2017), Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn seit 2002, Statistik Austria
  • Waardenburg, Jacques (2003), Muslims and Others: Relations in Context, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-017627-0.

Further reading[edit]

  • Kroissenbrunner, Sabine (July 2003), "Islam and Muslim Immigrants in Austria: Socio-Political Networks and Muslim Leadership of Turkish Immigrants", Immigrants and Minorities, 22 (2–3): 188–207, doi:10.1080/0261928042000244826.
  • Wets, Joha (March 2006), "The Turkish Community in Austria and Belgium: The Challenge of Integration", Turkish Studies, 7 (1): 85–100, doi:10.1080/14683840500520600.

External links[edit]

  • Austria signals policy changes for better relations with Turkey