While the Indian-German community is quite noticeable in German society, they are still regarded with a notion of foreignness and policies follow suit. Moreover, the interplay among immigration, communities, and generational differences are proving to be more important in the Indo-German culture. Specifically, Goel (1998) follows the aftermath of the Indian diaspora in Germany through generational and demographic studies, and what she reveals is a history of identity imposition on this minority population:
Goel (1998) further delves into the barriers to citizenship and the notion of perpetual foreigness through a qualitative study:
This legal manifestation can be broadly generalised between many
ascribed 'Indian' ancestors (independent of whether they really have them or not).23
23. Goel 2006
24. Goel 1998
25. Ibid.
12
In the 70s when the South Asian students had completed their studies, were in their first employments in Germany, when their first children had been born and the state got more restrictive in its application of the laws made for 'foreigners', many of the migrants thought about applying for the German citizenship.24
"Given this imbalance of power it is, accordingly, very difficult for an individual opposing the administrators to get justice and it requires many preconditions. If one is not as lucky as Dr. Agarwal having a friend who is a lawyer and is willing to work without recompense, one also needs sufficient finances to afford legal advice. Adding to this one must be able to argue one's own case, i.e. one must understand the legal system, must be articulate, etc. Finally, one can undertake such a project only if one has a secure legal status and must not fear disadvantages resulting from opposing the official view of the law."25