German Blood -- Polish Mind? Exploring the Immigration Histories of Resettlers from Poland to West Germany, 1970s--1990

This study examines the immigration of Polish resettlers to West Germany during the 1970s and 1980s. During this time nearly one million Poles immigrated to West Germany. The majority of them were able to claim German citizenship by documenting their German ethnic origins. They became known as Aussiedler, resettlers. Enjoying the legal privileges of immediate citizenship, they attracted only minor public attention as immigrants. Perhaps it was the cultural and political invisibility that eclipsed their experience as immigrants and earned the Poles the reputation of successful and exemplary integrators. Yet, if publicly the resettlers remained unnoticed as migrants, how did they experience the processes of immigration and integration on an individual level? Using oral histories, this research documents how the Polish resettlers remembered their past. Through the analysis of the personal stories, the study reveals the ways in which they contextualized their resettler history and made sense of who they are as German citizens with Polish biographies.