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The Politics of Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Question of Inclusion and Exclusion through Citizenship

Author

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  • Sebnem Koser Akcapar

    (Department of Sociology, Koç University, Turkey)

  • Dogus Simsek

    (College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Turkey)

Abstract

Turkey began to receive refugees from Syria in 2011 and has since become the country hosting the highest number of refugees, with more than 3.5 million Syrians and half a million people of other nationalities, mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. An important turning point regarding the legal status of Syrian refugees has come with recent amendments to the Turkish citizenship law. Based on ongoing academic debates on integration and citizenship, this article will explore these two concepts in the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey. We will argue that the shift in the Turkish citizenship law is a direct outcome of recent migration flows. We further argue that the citizenship option is used both as a reward for skilled migrants with economic and cultural capital and as a tool to integrate the rest of the Syrians. It also reflects other social, political and demographic concerns of the Turkish government. Using our recent ethnographic study with Syrians and local populations in two main refugee hosting cities in Turkey, Istanbul and Gaziantep, we will locate the successes and weaknesses of this strategy by exemplifying the views of Syrian refugees on gaining Turkish citizenship and the reactions of Turkish nationals.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebnem Koser Akcapar & Dogus Simsek, 2018. "The Politics of Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Question of Inclusion and Exclusion through Citizenship," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 176-187.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:6:y:2018:i:1:p:176-187
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    Cited by:

    1. Sevda Akar & M. Mustafa Erdoğdu, 2019. "Syrian Refugees in Turkey and Integration Problem Ahead," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 925-940, August.
    2. Musallam Abedtalas & Wissam Aldien ALOKLAH & Abdulhamid ALAWAK & Abdulnaser ALJASEM & Rohat SHEIKH ESMAEEL ZADA, 2021. "Top-Down Naturalization: Turkish Government Propensity and Syrian Refugee Attitudes," Journal of Social and Development Sciences, AMH International, vol. 12(2), pages 45-57.
    3. Scott Feinstein & Cristina Poleacovschi & Riley Drake & Leslie Ann Winters, 2022. "States and Refugee Integration: a Comparative Analysis of France, Germany, and Switzerland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 2167-2194, December.
    4. Ulrike Hamann & Gökçe Yurdakul, 2018. "The Transformative Forces of Migration: Refugees and the Re-Configuration of Migration Societies," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 110-114.

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