German Diasporic Experiences: Identity, Migration, and Loss

19 Immigration of German-speaking People to the Territory of Modern-day Turkey (1850–1918)

NINETEEN Immigration of German-speaking People to the Territory of Modern-day Turkey (1850–1918)
Christin Pschichholz 231 231 German migration to the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century and prior to World War i was a phenomenon altogether different from the waves of German emigrants to North and South America. The number of German people in Istanbul was around three thousand by World War i. This chapter argues, however, that between 1850 and 1918 German immigrants in modern-day Turkey faced an experience distinct from that of other expatriated Germans as a result of several factors, notably Ottoman societal practices of defining minorities on the basis of religion . Focusing mainly on Izmir and Istanbul, this chapter shows that the German-speaking migrants were not a self-contained group. They were primarily merchants and artisans who developed different patterns of assimilation in the cosmopolitan environment. The activities of the Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde in Istanbul offers insight into different tendencies of assimilation of this very diverse group in terms of ancestry , family status, duration of stay, social background, therewith religion and mentality. Ottoman German and Turkish German migration patterns merit attention, if for no other reason than the sheer number of Turkish immigrants currently residing in Germany. For most scholars, however, German migration to the Ottoman and Turkish territories is still largely considered an exotic field of research.1 This is probably due to the comparatively small number of German-speaking migrants in the 232 CHRISTIN PSCHICHHOLZ Ottoman Empire, as well as the long-lasting lack of interest of German historians in subjects related to the Ottoman Empire other than issues of diplomacy and political relations.2 German migration to the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century and prior to World War i was a phenomenon altogether different from the waves of German emigration to North and South America. Because the small settlements in today’s Turkey existed in a specific political and cultural environment, however, this subject is valuable for studies on the commonalities and differences experienced by German-speaking immigrants in general. Various domestic changes, including reforms and conflicts in the multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire, the political imperialistic influence of European powers, and the heterogeneous Ottoman society, offer an extraordinary perspective on German-speaking immigration.3 The period under consideration starts with the noticeable growth of German-speaking migration in the middle of the nineteenth century to cities such as Istanbul and Izmir, and ends after World War i with the expulsion of Germans due to the occupation of the French and English armies.4 Although there were small German-speaking settlements along railway lines and in the Black Sea region, the main focus of this chapter will be restricted to the larger settlements in Istanbul and Izmir. It discusses the migration process and questions the contemporary characterization of German-speaking migrants as a “German colony.” After a brief and general overview of European migration to the Ottoman Empire, there follows an analysis of the communities in terms of their migration background and characteristic stages of development, as well as their coexistence with Ottoman society and the role of the Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde in fostering intra-group cohesion,religion,and nationalism.The records of the Gemeinde, a group that settled in areas that are in the territory of Turkey today, provide the main sources. These include the correspondence between the Gemeinden and different German ministries and authorities, detailed annual reports, and the church register. They provide statistical background and address topics important to Germanspeaking immigration. European Migration to the Ottoman Empire To understand immigration processes, it is important to be aware of specific characteristics of the host country. Although the following general remarks cannot give a complete overview of the complex issue of migration into and within the Ottoman Empire, they can help put the German-speaking immigration into an appropriate context. In the introduction to their survey of the sociohistorical phenomenon of migration in the Ottoman Empire, Fikret Adanir and Hilmar Kaiser state that “the geographic space in which the Ottoman Empire was located has, throughout history, been a typical zone of human migration, if we take the term in its broadest meaning, that is, moving and passing from one country, place, or locality to another, permanently or periodically.”5 Migration occurred for economic and political reasons and it affected the demographic structure of the population in the Ottoman Empire.6 One aspect...