Understanding Syrian refugees in Turkey from an environment of insecurity and the conflict model of migration perspective

Abstract

Human mobility has been a topic of interest for migration scholars. Despite a growing literature, we are still far from clarity and consensus on motivations and mechanisms of migration. In this paper, we discuss the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey from a perspective of insecurities as proposed by one of the novel approaches to contemporary human mobility. This approach offers a better understanding of Syrian exodus and their experiences with strong references to the links between structural and agency level drivers. The model accounts for key drivers and root causes of migration while also highlighting the role of perception and the moderators in an attempt to cover both mobility and immobility. In this study, we apply this model in an attempt to understand the experiences of Syrian refugees settled in Gaziantep, a city in southern Turkey bordering Syria and with a majority Syrian population.

Keywords:

• Syrian refugees
• Turkey
• migration
• conflict model of migration
• insecurity

Acknowledgements

The research team wish to thank all the study participants, who shared their migration experiences. This research would not be possible without their support and participation.

Disclosure statement

The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to declare.

Notes

1 See https://www.goc.gov.tr/gecici-koruma5638 [Accessed: 20/4/2021].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

İnci Aksu Kargın

İnci Aksu Kargın received her BA in Public Administration from Gazi University, Ankara, and MA and PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from Indiana University Bloomington, the US. İnci currently works as Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Administration in Uşak University, Turkey, and she is the founding director of the Migration Research Centre of Uşak University. Her research interests include forced migration studies, migration theories, diaspora studies, and Middle Eastern politics. İnci has published journal articles and book chapters on Syrian refugees in Turkey, conducted several fieldworks on Syrian refugees in Turkey in the provinces bordering Syria, and participated in several prestigious conferences to present her studies.

Ibrahim Sirkeci

Ibrahim Sirkeci received his BA in Political Science and Public Administration from Bilkent University, Ankara and PhD in Human Geography from the University of Sheffield. Prior to joining University of Salford, he worked at University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Regent’s University London. Ibrahim Sirkeci has widely published on migration, ethnicity, conflict, labour markets, and remittances. He is the author/editor of many books including Handbook of Culture and Migration (2021), COVID-19 and Migration, Understanding the Pandemic and Human Mobility (2020), Little Turkey in Great Britain (2016), Migration and Remittances during the Global Financial Crisis and Beyond (2012) and Cultures of Migration, the Global Nature of Contemporary Mobility (2012). He is also the editor of several journals including Migration Letters, Transnational Marketing Journal, Remittances Review, Border Crossing and Goc Dergisi.