Copyright by Zekiye Ayca Arkilic 2016
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Copyright by Zekiye Ayca Arkilic 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Zekiye Ayca Arkilic Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Between the Homeland and Host States: Turkey’s Diaspora Policies and Immigrant Political Participation in France and Germany Committee: Gary P. Freeman, Supervisor Terri E. Givens, Co-Supervisor Robert G. Moser Raúl L. Madrid Sultan Tepe Between the Homeland and Host States: Turkey’s Diaspora Policies and Immigrant Political Participation in France and Germany by Zekiye Ayca Arkilic, B.A.; M. European.Studies.; M.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August, 2016 Dedication Bu doktora tezini canım aileme ithaf ediyorum. Acknowledgements During the years it took me to finish this project, I have accumulated numerous intellectual and personal debts. No part of this project would have been possible without the support and guidance I received from my supervisor, Gary P. Freeman. It has been a privilege to work with such an influential yet humble scholar. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my co-supervisor, Terri E. Givens, whose academic and administrative accomplishments I admire. I have been a fortunate beneficiary of her insight, knowledge, and optimism throughout my time in Austin. My committee members Robert G. Moser and Raúl L. Madrid provided excellent theoretical and methodological feedback and played an instrumental role in helping me improve my research. Special thanks are in order to my external committee member Sultan Tepe. Since the day I moved to the United States, she has been a constant source of encouragement, mentorship, and wisdom. She believed so much in me and in this project and always pushed me to see the bigger picture. I am forever indebted to her. I also would like to extend my thanks to Catherine Boone, Shannon Bow O’Brien, Henry Dietz, and David L. Leal for helping me to develop as a scholar and teacher. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the financial and institutional support that enabled me to complete this project. I have drawn sustenance from the Department of Government and the Center for European Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. I have also benefited from grants awarded by the European Science Foundation and the Consortium on Qualitative Research Methods. I thank the Journal of Muslim Minority v Affairs, in which some of the material in this dissertation has been published, for granting copyright permission. My sincere appreciation also goes to the staff members of the Department of Government, Annette Park, Stuart Tendler, and Carolina Villanueva, for their administrative and technical support. Over the course of my fieldwork in France and Germany, Sciences Po-Paris and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) served as my intellectual homes. I thank Catherine Wihtol de Wenden of Sciences Po-Paris and Ruud Koopmans of the WZB for welcoming me as a visiting scholar and for opening doors for me. In France, conversations with Samim Akgönül, Bayram Balcı, Faruk Bilici, Hamit Bozarslan, Riva Kastoryano, and Stéphane de Tapia challenged me to think in new ways. Thanks to my friends Gülce and Bilgehan, my sojourn in Paris turned into an unforgettable life experience. In Germany, I benefited from stimulating discussions with Dirk Halm, Gerdien Jonker, Werner Schiffauer, Riem Spielhaus, Dietrich Thränhardt, and Gökçe Yurdakul. My friends Anna, Armin, Aslı, and Doğa made Berlin a warm home for me. In Turkey, I had the chance to exchange ideas with Ayhan Kaya, Talip Küçükcan, Necdet Subaşı, and Elisabeth Özdalga. I would like to particularly thank Ahmet Yükleyen for helping me to clarify my ideas during the initial stages of my research. I am grateful to Adil Tütüncü and his family for facilitating my fieldwork in Ankara. I also owe a lot to all my interviewees in France, Germany, and Turkey, who shared their knowledge and thoughts with me. My stay at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies gave me the opportunity to expedite the writing process. I am grateful to Kevin Fogg, George Malagaris, and Farhan Nizami for their hospitality. My friends Aysel, Fouzia, and Kasia accompanied me in vi dinners, concerts, and long walks in London and Oxford. I would like to extend my thanks to Yasir Suleiman of the Cambridge Center for Islamic Studies for allowing me to present my research to a group of young scholars and for inviting me to contribute to an edited volume. Parts of my concluding chapter are based on a book chapter published in this edited volume. I am also indebted to many colleagues and friends, who gave me useful insights and perspectives. In particular, I thank Adam, Bill, Chang, Danilo, Emma, Hüseyin, Hyobin, Jessica, John, Kai-Ping, Kyle, Luke, Matt, Ömer, Pete, Rachel, Randy, Rodolfo, Ryan, Sophia, and Victoria. My hermana Mine never hesitated to be there whenever I needed her. My friends outside of graduate school, Beliz, Elif, Emine, and Miray, also deserve special mention. I feel the deepest gratitude of all to my wonderful family. Being born into such a loving family is the best luck of my life. I particularly thank my parents Ayşe and Necati for always being by my side. I thank my siblings Tunca, Günça, and Güven for making me feel so strong and supported in life. Our funny phone, Facebook, and Whatsapp conversations almost always make me start my day with a good laugh. I also would like to extend my thanks to Ada, Derin, Erhan, Muharrem, Irmak, and Rıfat for joining our family and for making our life more fulfilling. Finally, I thank Felix for being the best partner I could ever ask for. His compassion, patience, and love never cease to amaze me. I look forward to many more years of joy and adventure together. vii Between the Homeland and Host States: Turkey’s Diaspora Policies and Immigrant Political Participation in France and Germany Zekiye Ayca Arkilic, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisor: Gary P. Freeman Co-Supervisor: Terri E. Givens Abstract: This dissertation analyzes why sending states develop specific diaspora outreach policies and how those policies affect the political participation of immigrant organization leaders in host countries. I theorize and empirically test the propositions that diaspora outreach policies are a growing and significant preoccupation of sending states and that they play a pivotal role in motivating immigrant leaders to participate in host state politics. I argue that sending states influence immigrant political participation through the “diaspora empowerment” mechanism, which reshapes immigrant organizations leaders’ identification and capabilities. More specifically, sending states instill a sense of self-efficacy, collective identity, and group consciousness in the leaders of immigrant organizations and provide them with technical, financial, and legal support. I test my hypotheses through an extensive analysis of Turkey’s relations with expatriate umbrella organizations operating in France and Germany, two countries that are the viii leading recipients of Turkish immigrants in Western Europe. My analysis shows that origin states may apply a multi-tiered diaspora policy based on the size and the loyalty of immigrant organizations. This differential treatment affects the frequency and form of immigrant political activism oriented toward host states. I conclude that the leaders of immigrant organizations are more likely to be receptive to the sending state’s diaspora policies if they hold strong grievances toward their host state. Greater grievances lead to greater receptivity because they encourage immigrant leaders to identify with the sending state rather than the host state. My findings draw from secondary literature, content analysis of organizational and governmental reports, semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation, and survey research. ix Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................... xii List of Figures ............................................................................................................. xiii Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 The Argument in Brief ................................................................................................ 5 Conceptualization and Operationalization ................................................................ 11 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 16 The Plan of the Study ................................................................................................ 23 Chapter Two: Theory ................................................................................................ 25 The Limits of Alternative Explanations .................................................................... 26 Turning to Sending States: Transnationalism and Diaspora Policies ....................... 37 New Approaches to Immigrant Political Participation ............................................. 41 A Theory of Diaspora Empowerment ....................................................................... 44 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................