In between or bridging cultural gaps? Migrant women from Turkey as mediators

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Abstract
This article focuses on the experiences of a group of migrant women from Turkey, now living in the Netherlands or Germany. These are women involved in working with and for their compatriots in various sectors of social work. The term mediator refers to their professional task of mediating between the migrant community on the one hand and the indigenous society's institutions on the other. Their ethnicity turns out to be crucial for their professional tasks and their experiences are institutionally functionalised for the integration of their compatriots. A hallmark of their work is the translation of their compatriots’ behaviour and attitudes for the indigenous population and vice versa. The mediators can only succeed if they are able to analyse and reflect upon the host society as well as on the Turkish community; they can be seen as experts in the field of race and ethnic relations. This is why I have approached them as experts of a multi‐ethnic society. This article examined in detail the dilemmas they face and their chances of having a positive impact upon the Turkish communities’ marginal position. The article concludes by outlining theoretical issues of ethnicity, class and gender, which arise in connection with the case‐study.

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