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Meskhetian Turks Exploring Identity Through Connections of Culture By View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ASU Digital Repository Meskhetian Turks Exploring Identity Through Connections of Culture by Hatice Nurhayat Bilge A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2012 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Benjamin Broome, Chair Jacqueline Martinez Eric Margolis ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2012 ABSTRACT This project explores the cultural identity of a refugee group named Meskhetian Turks, an ethnic group forced to relocate multiple times in their long history. Driven from their original homeland and scattered around Central Asia and Eastern Europe for decades, approximately 15,000 Meskhetian Turks have been granted refugee status by the American government in recent years. The focus of this study is a group of Meskhetian Turkish refugees in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This is a narrative study conducted through twelve open-ended in-depth interviews and researcher's observations within the community. The interview questions revolved around three aspects of Meskhetian cultural identity, which were represented in each research question. These aspects were: how Meskhetian Turks define their own culture; how they define their connection to Turkey and Turks; and how they define Americans, American culture and their place within the American society. The first research question resulted in three themes: history, preservation of culture, and sense of community. The second research question revealed two themes: Meskhetian Turk's ties to Turkey, and the group's relationship with and perception of Turks in the area. The final research question provided two themes: the group's adaptation to United States, and interviewees' observations regarding the American culture. Exploring these themes, and examining the connection between these aspects provided a complex and intertwined web of connections, which explain Meskhetian Turkish cultural identity. Meskhetian Turks' cultural self-definition, i relation with the Turkish community, and perceptions of American culture are all inter-connected, which supports and furthers a dialectic approach to cultural studies. The study also contributes to refugee adaptation literature by examining cultural identity influences on the group's adaptation in the United States and offering insight and suggestions for improving the adaptation process. ii DEDICATION Annem iҫin... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. Benjamin Broome, without whose guidance, unyielding support, and encouragement this dissertation would never be completed. He offered his help, his wisdom, and his friendship endlessly. He is forever my mentor, my teacher, and my friend. Dr. Jackie Martinez went above and beyond the duties of a committee member. She guided me, cheered me on, listened to me, and inspired me throughout. Dr. Eric Margolis graciously dedicated his time and his wisdom to me and this project. I am forever thankful for this amazing group of teachers and guides. I would also like to give my gratitude to the Meskhetian Turkish community. I wish I could name each one, however, confidentiality prohibits me from doing so. They opened their homes to me, shared their stories with me, and more importantly offered their friendship to me. I am honored to know each and every one. My thanks go to my sister and my best friend, Ece Bilge. Even when she's thousands of miles away, she is always by me. She knows she means the world to me and I am eternally thankful for her and to her. Finally, I want to thank my mother, to whom I owe everything. I owe her every single accomplishment I achieve, every strength I have, and every right decision I make. I owe her my life... Annem, bu senin sayende ve senin iҫin... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Page 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 My Starting Point ................................................................................ 1 Justification and Purpose of Study ..................................................... 7 Summary of Chapters ....................................................................... 11 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................... 13 Historical Context ............................................................................. 13 Theoretical Foundation/ Culture ...................................................... 20 Cultural Identity ................................................................................ 25 Ethnicity and Ethnic Identity ............................................................ 32 Immigration and Adaptation ............................................................ 36 Research Questions ........................................................................... 46 3 METHODS ........................................................................................... 74 Researcher Positionality and Validity .............................................. 75 Summary of Purpose and Research Questions ................................ 77 Research Sites ................................................................................... 78 Data Collection ................................................................................. 79 Data Collection Procedures .............................................................. 79 Narrative and Ethnographic Interviews ........................................... 82 Interview Protocol............................................................................. 84 Participants ........................................................................................ 89 Sample Contact Summary Form ...................................................... 90 v Data Analysis and Coding ................................................................ 91 4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ......................................................... 95 Research Question 1 ......................................................................... 96 History ............................................................................................... 96 Preservation of Culture ................................................................... 104 Sense of Community ...................................................................... 126 Research Question 2 ....................................................................... 132 Meskhetian Turks and Turkey ........................................................ 133 Meskhetian Turks and Turks .......................................................... 140 Research Question 3 ....................................................................... 147 Adaptation ....................................................................................... 148 Perceptions ...................................................................................... 159 5 INTERPRETATION: MAKING SENSE OF THE ANSWERS ..... 165 Research Question 1 ....................................................................... 167 Research Question 2 ....................................................................... 176 Research Question 3 ....................................................................... 185 Connection between Three Research Questions ............................ 190 6 FINAL WORD: DISCUSSION ......................................................... 203 Implications ..................................................................................... 204 Challenges ....................................................................................... 209 Future Studies ................................................................................. 215 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 217 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 218 vi APPENDIX Page A IRB APPROVAL ........................................................................... 226 vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION This dissertation project explores the cultural identity of a refugee group named Meskhetian Turks, a cultural group forced to relocate multiple times in their long history. Driven from their original homeland and scattered around Central Asia and Eastern Europe for decades, approximately 15,000 Meskhetian Turks have been granted refugee status by the American government in recent years. The focus of this study is a group of Meskhetian Turkish refugees in the Phoenix metropolitan area. My research has three major purposes: understanding Meskhetian Turkish cultural identity, exploring Meskhetian Turks’ connection to Turkish culture, and examining Meskhetian Turks’ adaptation to life in the United States. Using narrative research, I tried to understand Meskhetian perceptions and experiences through field research in the local community. The study extends knowledge within the field of communication about cultural identity issues and adaptation of refugees. Before describing my statement of purpose for the study, the next section will provide a personal narrative of the encounters that served as my “starting point” for this research. My Starting Point “You have to come in! At least for a few minutes…” She was holding the door open with such a warm smile on her face that I couldn’t say no. It was the end of a very long day. I was helping to host a Turkish writer, who was in
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