‘Biodeutsch’ and ‘Ausländer’ – shifting notions of otherness in narratives of discrimination

Abstract

Characterised by discourses about ethnic tension and integration in relation to Turkish Germans, the German media has created a negative public image of this very group, portraying them as ‘the Other’. Such a portrayal has detrimental effects on this group, exposing them to discrimination and racism, and ultimately impacting their social integration. Using a discourse–analytical approach, this paper examines narratives from focus groups to explore the discursive and pragmatic processes through which Turkish Germans construct their identities by Othering either ‘the Germans’ or ‘the Turks’, while embracing and/or rejecting membership in these larger groups. Findings reveal that the highly dynamic nature of otherness/othering is closely intertwined with issues of social integration. Findings further illustrate how mainstream discourses about Turkish Germans enter and manifest themselves in both public perception of the constructed ‘Other’ and self-perceptions of this stigmatised group, and provide empirical evidence about the (discursive) processes through which social integration takes place.