Equity & Diversity

Identity Blurred for Many Immigrants

By Erik W. Robelen — May 10, 2005 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

See Also

Return to the main story,

The Great Divide

National identity can be tricky for immigrants in Germany, even those with German passports like the Celikkol family of Berlin.

“I personally believe that I belong here,” says Nilgün Celikkol, who left Turkey with her family at age 7 and attended Berlin’s E.O. Plauen Elementary School in the 1970s. “I don’t feel like I’m a guest-worker child; I feel like I’m an immigrant.”

That doesn’t mean Celikkol, who is married with two school-age daughters and is a university-educated teacher’s assistant, thinks of herself as German.

In her Berlin bedroom, with its poster of U.S. actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Ilke Celikkol plays the violin.

“If someone asks me, I say I’m a Berliner,” she says one day in her comfortable flat, over a classic Turkish breakfast of feta cheese, olives, Turkish tea, various breads, Turkish sausage, and other fare.

She and her husband, Ibrahim, an electrical engineer also born in Turkey, believe that some Germans still have a hard time accepting Turkish immigrants, even those who speak excellent German and seem fully integrated, like this family.

Referring to their German passports, Ibrahim Celikkol says: “That doesn’t mean much to the Germans. It’s just a piece of paper.”

He tells of his building’s maintenance man, a “very average German” who for a decade lived one floor above the family.

“For 10 years, he never said hi to us,” Ibrahim Celikkol says. “He didn’t even look at us.”

Finally, the family moved to his floor and made an extra effort to get to know him. Now, they’re on friendly terms, and the maintenance man even brings the family gifts at holiday time.

“It only took him 15 years,” Ibrahim Celikkol says.

Sitting in a classroom at Hector Peterson comprehensive school, a group of 15 students share their feelings about identity. Nearly all were born in Berlin, though most of their families come from abroad, especially Turkey.

None of the students from immigrant families calls himself or herself German.

“I don’t feel like a German because since I was young, I grew up as an Arab,” says Iman Mesallam, a 16-year-old whose father hails from Jordan, her mother from Syria. “The upbringing is totally different.”

For instance, “you’re not supposed to have a boyfriend,” she says. “It’s not supposed to be that way with Muslim girls.”

For Goran Obradovic, an 18-year-old, the immigration came a generation earlier. His parents, like him, were born in Berlin, but his grandparents came from Yugoslavia.

Even two generations in Berlin aren’t enough for Obradovic.

“I feel Yugoslavian,” he says, “not German.”

Coverage of cultural understanding and international issues in education is supported in part by the Atlantic Philanthropies.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From Meet the DEI Leader Using Data—and Heart—to Foster Student Belonging
A district's DEI director uses data and an approachable style to do his work despite a challenging political environment.
9 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, delivers closing remarks and applauds students for their work during the Power of We event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, applauds students at an event at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Q&A Keeping DEI Work Alive in a Hostile Political Climate
Diversity, equity, and inclusion remains a target for criticism and elimination. A DEI director is navigating his way through it.
5 min read
Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, pictured at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Ty Harris, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Virginia Beach school district, visits Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Parker Michels-Boyce for Education Week
Equity & Diversity What the Latest Civil Rights Data Show About Racial Disparities in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education released new data from 2021-22 covering students' access to STEM courses, school discipline, and more.
7 min read
Photograph of three student engineers working on a new mechanical model. Multi-ethnic group of young people in a STEM class.
Alvarez/E+
Equity & Diversity Opinion No, Culturally Responsive Education Is Not a Synonym for CRT
If you're confused about what culturally responsive teaching means, here is guidance from educators on how to avoid common misconceptions.
10 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week