Surveillance of immigrants from Turkey in Germany: From the disciplinary society to the society of control

Abstract

The surveillance of immigrants from Turkey in Germany functions on two seemingly contradictory levels: on the one hand, it de facto recognizes their inclusion in German society; on the other hand, it serves as an instrument to exclude them as '(un)suitable' foreign subjects within that society. Since 1961, this surveillance has slowly but surely changed its character. The aim of this article is to examine these changes through the lens of the different characteristics of so-called disciplinary and control societies. The article reconsiders the theoretical definitions of discipline and control in light of the German context to develop these as more precise historical categories. The fundamental point is that contact between German society and the social fact of migration and an immigrant population decisively inflected German disciplinary and control societies from the very beginning. This study argues that there has been a gradual shift on the part of the German state from a more limited focus to broader considerations of the issue of migration. This shift reveals more inclusionary measures; yet, dialectically, at the very same time it defines and captures an expanding space of exclusion.

How do Turkey-origin immigrant workers in Germany represent themselves through trade unions and works councils?

“…According to Räthzel (cited in Topal, 2011), Turkey-origin workers and migrants in general face four main types of discrimination at their workplaces:…”

Changes in migration control during the neoliberal era: surveillance and border control in Swedish labour immigration policy

“…Surveillance is likely to increase when migrants are perceived as outsiders in destination countries, for example when they are low-skilled workers from North Africa. The question of who is to be an object of surveillance is influenced by ethnic hierarchies and class positions of migrants (Bigo 2008, Topal 2011. Moreover, it is influenced by beliefs about certain categories of migrants as security threats.…”