A Historical Overview of the Armenian Diaspora in Germany

Year 2023, Issue: 47, 95 - 117, 25.07.2023

Fuat Ozan Birkan

Abstract

The Armenians, one of the first nations that come to mind when the term “diaspora” is mentioned, have made this situation a part of their political, social, and cultural identities. On the other hand, Germany is one of the countries with the highest number of immigrants in the world. In this context, the intersection of Armenians and Germany constitutes an interesting experience in the field of migration and diaspora studies. Although it has remained in the background in comparison to the examples where the Armenian Diaspora is highly influential, Germany is one of the prominent countries in which this community has started to grow and become visible. The presence of Turks in Germany, a country where Armenians have begun to be influential not only socially and economically, but also politically, makes it interesting to examine the Armenian Diaspora in Germany from several dimensions. The historical interactions between Germany and Armenians and their relations being shaped by the presence of third parties make the research on Armenians who migrated here significant also for diaspora and migration studies. This study aims to present a brief history of this thriving community and a summary of its political and social activities in Germany.

Keywords

Armenians, Germany, Diaspora, Migration

Almanya’daki Ermeni Diasporasının Tarihsel Bir Genel Değerlendirmesi

Abstract

“Diaspora” denilince akla gelen ilk uluslardan biri olan Ermeniler; bu durumu siyasi, sosyal ve kültürel kimliklerinin bir parçası haline getirmişlerdir. Öte yandan Almanya dünyada en çok göçmen barındıran ülkelerden biridir. Bu bağlamda Ermeniler ile Almanya'nın kesişmesi göç ve diaspora çalışmaları alanında ilginç bir deneyim oluşturmaktadır. Ermeni Diasporasının etkisinin yüksek olduğu örneklere göre geri planda kalsa da Almanya bu topluluğun gelişmeye ve görünür hale gelmeye başladığı önde gelen ülkelerden biridir. Ermenilerin sosyal ve ekonomik olduğu kadar siyasi olarak da etkili olmaya başladıkları bir ülke olan Almanya'da Türklerin varlığı, Almanya'daki Ermeni Diasporasını çeşitli boyutlarıyla incelemeyi ilginç kılmaktadır. Almanya ve Ermeniler arasındaki tarihsel etkileşimleri ve üçüncü tarafların varlığıyla şekillenen ilişkileri, buraya göç eden Ermeniler üzerine yapılan araştırmaları diaspora ve göç çalışmaları için de önemli kılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, bu gelişen topluluğun kısa bir tarihini ve Almanya'daki siyasi ve sosyal faaliyetlerinin bir özetini sunmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

Ermeniler, Almanya, Diaspora, Göç

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