Reframing Social Mobility: Context and Strategies Among Turkish Migrants in Germany

Abstract

Studies on social mobility, particularly those with quantitative orientation, often present mobility rates without accounting for the contextual continuity in which individual life and career trajectories develop. Yet, social structure is not a static backdrop upon which individuals act. This study argues that processes of political, legal, and economic transformation can reconfigure structures of inequality, shift hierarchies, and alter corresponding rewards, thereby reshaping the set of possible pathways and strategies available to individuals. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with individuals who migrated from Turkey to Germany in the 1960s, this article explores how social transformations in both countries have shaped their status-related decisions and mobility strategies over time. The findings reveal that participants’ career trajectories are fragmented and complex rather than linear, constantly recalibrated in relation to shifting social contexts. Like the branches of a tree, these trajectories reach crosspoints that prompt individuals to rethink, reconsider, and reevaluate their aspirations and decisions. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how mechanisms transporting individuals from origins to destinations function under evolving historical conditions. Ultimately, the study underscores that social mobility is not a linear or context-free process but a dynamic interplay of structure, agency, and temporality. By integrating qualitative insights, it becomes possible to expose the hidden pathways and lived complexities that quantitative models often obscure.