A Sociological Analysis of Internally Displaced Persons (Idps) As a Social Identity: a Case Study for Georgian Idps
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A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) AS A SOCIAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY FOR GEORGIAN IDPS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HAZAR EGE GÜRSOY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AREA STUDIES AUGUST 2021 Approval of the thesis: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) AS A SOCIAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY FOR GEORGIAN IDPS submitted by HAZAR EGE GÜRSOY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Area Studies, the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Yaşar KONDAKÇI Dean Graduate School of Social Sciences Assist. Prof. Dr. Derya Göçer Head of Department Department of Area Studies Prof. Dr. Ayşegül AYDINGÜN Supervisor Department of Sociology Examining Committee Members: Prof. Dr. Pınar KÖKSAL (Head of the Examining Committee) Middle East Technical University Department of Political Science and Public Administration Prof. Dr. Ayşegül AYDINGÜN (Supervisor) Middle East Technical University Department of Sociology Assoc. Prof. Dr. Işık KUŞÇU BONNENFANT Middle East Technical University Department of International Relations Assist. Prof. Dr. Yuliya BİLETSKA Karabük University Department of International Relations Assist. Prof. Dr. Olgu KARAN Başkent University Department of Sociology iii iv PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Hazar Ege Gürsoy Signature : iii ABSTRACT A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) AS A SOCIAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY FOR GEORGIAN IDPS GÜRSOY, Hazar Ege Ph.D., Department of Area Studies Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayşegül AYDINGÜN August 2021, 362 Pages This thesis analyzes the social identification process of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Georgia within the scope of Social Identity Theory of Tajfel and Turner (1978). The study focuses on the influential components of the identity formation process of the Georgian IDPs, who have been displaced through several migration waves in two different periods (early 1990s and 2008) from both Abkhazia and South Ossetia due to ethnic conflicts. In order to analyze IDP‘s self-identification, the research focuses on two main dimensions. While the first dimension is the external definition of IDP identity by the host community, which stigmatizes it over the course of the post-Soviet period; the second dimension is the self-attributed characteristics (i.e., sedulity, unity, coming from the same region) and perceptions of IDPs on certain concepts (i.e., shared trauma, in-group favoritism, home, homeland and the wish to return) which strengthen and transform IDP identity from a stigmatized pattern towards a positive one. Based on the data collected in Georgia between 2014 and 2017 through in-depth interviews with civil society experts, state officials, politicians, academicians and the IDPs from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, who migrated to iv Georgia proper in different periods, the self-identification process and behavioral patterns of IDPs, the Georgian social context and IDPs‘ social interaction with the out-group agencies (host community, state and civil society) are elaborated thoroughly. Keywords: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Social Identity Theory, Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia v ÖZ SOSYAL BİR KİMLİK OLARAK ÜLKE İÇİNDE YERİNDEN EDİLEN KİŞİLERİN (ÜİYOK‘LERİN) SOSYOLOJİK ANALİZİ: GÜRCİSTAN ÜİYOK‘LERİ ÜZERİNE BİR VAKA ÇALIŞMASI GÜRSOY, Hazar Ege Doktora, Bölge Çalışmaları Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ayşegül AYDINGÜN Ağustos 2021, 362 Sayfa Bu tez, Tajfel ve Turner‘ın (1978) Toplumsal Kimlik Kuramı kapsamında Gürcistan‘daki ülke içinde yerinden edilmiş kişilerin (ÜİYOK‘lerin) toplumsal kimlik oluşum sürecini analiz etmektedir. Çalışma, etnik çatışmalar nedeniyle hem Abhazya‘dan hem de Güney Osetya‘dan iki farklı dönemde (1990‘ların başı ve 2008) çeşitli göç dalgaları ile yerlerinden edilen Gürcü ÜİYOK‘lerin kimlik oluşum sürecini etkileyen bileşenler üzerinde durmaktadır. ÜİYOK‘lerin kendini tanımlamasını analiz etmek için araştırma iki ana boyuta odaklanmaktadır. İlk boyut, IDP kimliğinin, Sovyet sonrası dönem boyunca yerel halk tarafından stigmalaştırılan dışsal tanımı iken; ikinci boyut, ÜİYOK‘lerin stigmalaşmış bu kimliği pozitif bir hale getirmek için kullandıkları grup taktikleridir. Örneğin belirli konseptler (ortak travma, grup içi kayırmacılık, ev, vatan ve geri dönme isteği) ÜİYOK‘lerin grup kimliklerini güçlendirirken, ÜİYOK‘lerin kendilerine atfettikleri çeşitli özellikler (örneğin çalışkanlık, birlik, hemşehrilik) grup kimliğinin dönüşümünü sağlamaktadır. Gürcistan‘da 2014-2017 yılları arasında sivil toplum uzmanları, devlet yetkilileri, politikacılar, akademisyenler ve farklı vi dönemlerde göç eden ÜİYOK‘ler ile derinlemesine mülakatlarda toplanan verilere dayanarak, ÜİYOK‘lerin kendini tanımlama süreci ve davranış kalıpları, grup dışı aktörlerle (yerel halk, devlet ve sivil toplum) sosyal etkileşimi ve ülkenin toplumsal koşulları kapsamlı bir şekilde ele alınmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Ülke İçinde Yerinden Edilmiş Kişiler (ÜİYOK‘ler), Sosyal Kimlik Kuramı, Gürcistan, Abhazya, Güney Osetya vii DEDICATION To My Mother, Father and Husband viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Professor Ayşegül Aydıngün, this dissertation would not be completed without her patience and encouragment. For the last decade, from the first day I met her to this day, she has always been more than a supervisor. I became the person I am today because of her endless support and guidance. This thesis is a modest statement of my gratitude to her. I hope on my way to become a successful social scientist; I will always feel her presence besides me. I am also grateful to the members of the examining committee, Professor Pınar Köksal and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Işık Kuşçu Bonnenfant not only for their constructive comments but also for sharing their endless positive energy with me. I also express my thanks to Assistant Professor Yuliya Biletska and Assistant Professor Olgu Karan for their very valuable comments and suggestions on my thesis. I also would like to thank my fellow Kartvelian friends without whom this thesis would not be finalized. Here, I especially would like to thank Professor Eka Pirtskhalava and Megi Sajaia. Their selfless, endless and sincere support helped me through my field research in Georgia. I would also like to express my endless thanks to the Georgian IDPs. They welcomed me to their homes and showed me the great Georgian hospitality. Moreover, even though forced displacement was a very difficult topic for them, they shared their most sincere views with me. No words would be enough to express my gratitude to my dearest friends Yelda Karadağ and Serhat Keskin. They are the ultimate proof that blood ties are not necessary to acknowledge someone as a sibling. Their psychological support helped me through each and every step of this thesis. I also thank Ali Çakıroğlu, ix Nihan N. Özkan and Anıl Üner for their efforts to support my writing process. I cannot think how I would finish this thesis without their help. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family. Their unconditional support and love is the main reason I overcome all the difficulties I encountered during my academic journey. I thank my dear husband Ahmet Erdenay for his patience and neverending support and I thank my mother S. Vedia Gürsoy and my father Gürhan Gürsoy for their selfless support, love and encouragement. It is them that made me who I am. x TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM………………………. ................................................................... iii ABSTRACT………………………… ................................................................... iv ÖZ………………………………….. ..................................................................... vi DEDICATION……………………… ................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………. .............................................................. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS……………. .................................................................. xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND RUSSIAN TERMS .................................... xvi CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION………………. ...................................................................... 1 1.1. Introducing the Study………. ..................................................................... 1 1.2. Argument of the Thesis…….. ..................................................................... 8 1.3. The Reason behind Analyzing the Georgian IDPs with the Social Identity Theory………………..… ....................................................... 10 1.4. Methods……………..……… ................................................................... 14 1.4.1. Preliminary Research, the Selection of the Target Groups, and the Questions Themes ................................................................................... 16 1.4.2. Fieldworks .......................................................................................... 18 1.4.2.1. The First Fieldwork (November 6, 2014 - December 11, 2014) .........................................................................................................