(Christian Science Monitor) Cenk Auth is a Berlin hairstylist with Turkish flair and a German passport.
Born in Germany to Turkish German parents, Mr. Auth is part of a Turkish diaspora spread across Europe that keenly feels the tug of two places. When he’s not running Berlin’s upscale Haarwerk salon, he’s listening to Turkish music and watching Turkish television to stay connected to Turkey.
Yet Mr. Auth also feels uniquely German. “From a national perspective, I see myself as being a Turk living in Germany, but I don’t see Turkey as my homeland because I didn’t grow up there. I don’t think I could live in Turkey — I’m too accustomed to life and integrated in Germany.”
Politically, Turks in Germany are so important back “home” that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has campaigned in Germany, setting up offices to maintain a physical footprint.
