The analysis of Mehmet Niyazi Özdemir's novel "Between Two Worlds" in the context of acculturation process

People in the world have had to move into another country or city for different reasons, namely, to migrate. As a result of voluntary or forced migration, people have encountered a new culture. For immigrants, trying to live within a culture that is different from their own means that they adapt to another language, religion and tradition as well. Under the new conditions they encounter, people are affected positively or negatively by the characteristics of the society they live in. This interaction is called acculturation. In the research, it is aimed to examine the intercultural interactions of the Turkish immigrants in Germany, namely the process of acculturation. In the research, Mehmet Niyazi Özdemir's novel 'Between Two Worlds' which is considered to be one of the best examples that reflect the acculturation process of the Turks in Germany was examined. In the study which was carried out as a qualitative research method in the survey model, the data were collected with the document analysis method and these data were analyzed with the content analysis technique. In this context, Mehmet Niyazi Özdemir's "Between Two Worlds" was analyzed, and Turkish cultural elements and acculturation strategies were examined in the research. The above-mentioned novel is about Ayhan who comes to Germany from Turkey to go to university, dreams about getting married with Hildegard with whom he falls in love in Germany and the failure to get together because of different national and religious values, and about adaptation problems of the protagonist Ayhan under the conditions caused by the immigration. First of all, an analysis of the novel was made in the research and the data obtained were compiled under the appropriate titles. Turkish cultural elements and acculturation strategies were examined, exemplified by the texts, and how often these elements and strategies are encountered in the novel was determined. It was concluded from the research that the most encountered cultural element is integration, and it was also found out that the cultural element that was never encountered is habitual behaviors and body language. The data that were obtained show that the Turks who immigrated to Germany are, thanks to their rich culture, ready to establish strong relationships with people and to adapt. Also, findings in acculturation strategies support a similar result. When acculturation strategies are examined, it was discovered that the most encountered strategy by far is the integration strategy which has the highest adaptation level. Based on the results of the study, some suggestions were made such as making similar and up-to-date reviews with literary works about Turkish immigration, and examining cultural and socio-psychological processes as in acculturation in Turkish immigrant literature. Keywords: Acculturation, Turkish Cultural Elements, Immigration to Germany, Immigrant Literature