Homeland-Diaspora Relations in Flux

Greek diaspora interactions between Gastarbeiter and ‘neo-immigrants’ in Germany

Between 1953 and 1973, emigration depleted the modern Greek state by roughly one fifth of its total population. A significant number of those migrants relocated to Germany, which since 1960 is home to a sizeable community of former Gastarbeiter (guest-workers) and their descendants. Following three decades of European Integration and relevant prosperity, the 2009 Greek sovereign debt crisis initiated a new wave of Greek emigration, analogous, yet different to that of the post-War era. Germany remains an attractive destination for Greek expatriates, but in contrast to guest-workers from the 1960s, ‘neo-migrants’ are typically skilled or highly-skilled persons who relocate individually. This paper examines the qualitative attributes of Greek expatriates and ‘neo-migrants’ in Germany and compares them to those of former guest-workers; furthermore, this paper compares the narratives of Gastarbeiter to those of European expatriates. Finally, the perceptions of Greek expatriates for the established Greek community in Germany are looked into, as well as the individual and collective efforts of the Greek community and institutions to help and ease their socioeconomic integration.

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