German Nationality: an Illustration of Institutionalized Discrimination

Abstract

On what normative grounds can the ethnic Turkish minority in Germany be denied political membership? Over 7% of the German population is made up of foreign residents, mostly ethnic Turks, with vague social rights and no political groups. This thesis is an attempt at uncovering the developments that have lead to this situation by examining the history of German citizenship within the context of a large disenfranchised ethnic minority since the end of WWII. Finally, this thesis examines the latest legislation on German Nationality as an example of deepening ethno-cultural self-understanding institutionalized by the state that results in the discrimination of millions of foreign residents based solely on nationality.