Migrating to America (PDF)

Why do so many Turkish migrants choose to make their fortune in America when the proximity of Europe makes it a less costly risk? Here Lisa DiCarlo offers us new insights into the study of identity and migration. She draws on research and the history of the Black Sea region going back to the early years of the modern Turkish Republic, to explain current Turkish labour migration trends.
The forced ethnic migration between Greece and Turkey at the end of the Ottoman Empire stripped the Black Sea region of its artisans and merchants, weakening the economy and resulting in a trend of migration from this area. Many Greek families were forced to flee their natal villages to resettle in a country they had never seen, only to be marginalized by mainland Greeks for their Black Sea identity. This ostracization led to regional compatriotism, or hemserilik between Turkish migrants and Greek refugees from the Black Sea region, migrating to America in the 1970s and this kinship still holds resonance today. DiCarlo argues current transnational chain migration from the Black Sea area is led by regional identity over ethnicity, as this strong bond leads Turkish migrants from the Black Sea region to follow Greek Black Sea migrants across the Atlantic, rather than join their Turkish compatriots in Europe.
Focusing on a Black Sea village, a squatter community in Istanbul (used as a holding place for waiting migrants wanting to enter the US illegally) and a coastal New England town, DiCarlo shows us how a diaspora community survives through an emerging transnational community. This is essential reading for those wanting to understand transnational migration and identity in today's global community.