Abstract
This thesis uses a lifestyle migration lens to explore the second-generation Turkish-Germans’ ‘return’ migration to their ancestral homeland. Disappointed with the post-return lives in their parents’ towns of origin and/or in big cities like Istanbul, the research’s sample group consciously made the decision to remobilise themselves and resettle in Antalya, a tourism hub in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The narratives reflect that the second generation’s ‘return’ imaginings and further life choices such as places of settlement are motivated by their goals of ‘living a fulfilling life’ and have a ‘coherent sense of self’. The qualitative study coins a new term, ‘lifestyle return migration’ which offers a hybrid conceptual framework, alternative to conventional migration theories that evaluate ‘return’ as an ‘income-maximising act’, ‘anomaly’ and ‘homecoming’. Based on the thematic and narrative analysis of 44 semi-structured, in-depth life-story interviews, the findings illustrate that ‘lifestyle returnees’ perceive Antalya as a place wherein their multiple identities, ‘alternative’ lifestyles and translocal ties can co-exist. Thus, Antalya’s cosmopolitan setting with many foreign, especially German, tourists and residents are particularly valued. Moreover, they can mobilise their human capital of educational qualifications, bilingual skills and “transcultural capital” to set up or get jobs in the tourism sector, combining work with leisure in ‘tourism spaces’ wherein they can sustain a persistent holiday feeling. In addition, the narratives reveal more existential themes of (re-)discovering their ‘true’ selves and (re-)inventing the meaning of ‘home’ in this international niche. Subsequently, the thesis aims to highlight the relevance of lifestyle migration approaches to explore complex ‘return’ decisions through an agency-oriented approach and with a focus on social fields embedded in specific locales.