Intergenerational transmission and integration of repatriate families from the former Soviet Union in Germany

Abstract

The main objective of this empirical research is the analysis of intergenerational transmission and integration of repatriate families from the former Soviet Union in Germany. Repatriates are of German origin generally coming from Eastern Europe, where their ancestors migrated about 250 years ago. They are permitted to immigrate into the Federal Republic of Germany if they can prove their German origin and a discrimination in the country they live because of their German culture. They can be distinguished from other migrant groups in Germany not only by their cultural closeness to the native population, but also by their legal status upon immigration. They are equal in civil rights to the German population after their admission. Therefore, most people assume that these immigrants do not have any problems to integrate into Germany. But as Germans amongst Germans, being fully supplied with all civil rights, repatriates are still in a real, and very complicated immigration situation. Alltogether 427 same sex parent-child dyads of repatriates from the former Soviet Union were interviewed. The empirical analyses are based on an evolution with standardized questionaires. Special regard is given to the question, how individual skills, contextual restrictions, and familial factors effects the process of acculturation of migrant families from the former Soviet Union in Germany. Specifically the analysis examines how the parent generation influences the children generation and how this affects their integration process.