Layers of Liminality: a Grounded Theory Study of Refugee Women in Ankara, Turkey
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LAYERS OF LIMINALITY: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF REFUGEE WOMEN IN ANKARA, TURKEY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY LARA SCHROETER IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES DECEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Asst. Prof. Dr. Derya GöçerAkder Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Asst. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Çitak (METU, IR) Asst. Prof. Dr. Besim Can Zırh (METU, SOC) Asst. Prof. Dr. Reyhan Atasü Topçuoğlu (Hacettepe Uni., Sosyal Hizmet) 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 thatare not original to this work. Name, Last Name : Lara Schroeter Signature : iii ABSTRACT LAYERS OF LIMINALITY: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF REFUGEE WOMEN IN ANKARA, TURKEY SCHROETER, Lara M.S., Department of Middle East Studies Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Besim Can ZIRH September, 2019, 155 pages The focus of this study was on how women cope with living in forced displacement in Ankara, Turkey. Using a grounded theory methodology, and focusing on women's lived experience, allowed for an emphasis on the agency of these women, while also identifying their vulnerabilities. Eleven women with various ethnic backgrounds from Iraq and Syria participated in this study. An important finding in this study was that these women all shared the common experience of living in layers of liminality. They had separated from their homes, and were prevented from reaggregation in terms of being excluded from legal, social, and economic structures. This was conceptualized as concentric layers of liminality that the women were experiencing, with the inner most layer a psychosocial liminality where the women were withdrawn from society spatial and socially, and experienced negative emotion such as depression, loneliness, and hopelessness. Though vulnerable to these layers of liminality due to their being a women and their iv displacement, these women engaged in resilience strategies to cope with and adapt to their situation. These strategies fell into two categories, one to exit the psychosocial liminality to varying degrees, and the other to settle in, and reframe their liminal position. The paradox of these strategies was that depending on various conditions, these strategies had the effect of helping them cope and adapt, or they could cause the women to cycle back into the liminality. However, the general result was that the women gained greater self-awareness and strength, and a regaining of agency over their lives. Keywords: Liminality, Refugees, Displacement, Gender, Turkey v ÖZ EŞİKTELİĞİN KATMANLARI ANKARA TÜRKİYEDEDKİ MÜLTECİ KADINLAR ÜZERİNE BİR TEMELLENDİRİLMİŞ KURAM ÇALIŞMASI SCHROETER, Lara Yüksek Lisans, Orta Doğu Arıştırma Bölümü Tes Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Besim Can ZIRH Aralık 2019, 155 sayfa Bu çalışmanın odağı, zorla yerinden edilmiş mülteci kadınların Ankara, Türkiye’deki başa çıkma yöntemleridir. Çalışmada kadınların yaşamış olduğu tecrübelere odaklanmak için Temellendirilmiş Kuram (Grounded Theory) metoduna başvurulması, kadınların hayatlarını şekillendirme yetkinliklerinin vurgulanmasına ve bir taraftan da savunmasızlıklarının tespit edilmesine olanak sağlamıştır. Farklı sosyoekonomik, etnik ve dini geçmişlere sahip Iraklı ve Suriyeli on bir kadınla açık uçlu görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın önemli bir bulgusu, tüm katılımcıların eşikteliğin katmanlarında ortak yaşam deneyimleri paylaştıklarının görülmesi olmuştur. Evlerinden ayrı düşürülmüş ve yasal, sosyal ve ekonomik yapıların dışında tutulduklarından dolayı yeniden hayatlarına şekil vermelerinin önüne geçilmiştir. Katılımcıların tecrübe ettikleri bu durum, eşikteliğin eşmerkezli katmanları olarak kavramsallaştırılmıştır. En içteki katman, kadınların hem vi mekânsal hem de sosyal olarak toplumun dışına çekildiği; depresyon, yalnızlık ve umutsuzluk gibi olumsuz duygular yaşadığı psikososyal bir eşikteliktir. Kadın olmaları ve evlerinden ayrı düşmüş olmaları bu kadınları bu eşiktelik katmanlarına karşı savunmasız hale getirmiştir. Fakat yine de bu kadınlar içinde bulundukları durumlarla başa çıkma ve durumlarına uyum sağlama stratejileri geliştirebilmiştir. Bu çalışma temel olarak içsel eşiktelik ile başa çıkmak için kullanılan stratejilere odaklanmıştır. Bu stratejiler, biri eşiktelikten farklı derecelerde dışarı çıkmak, diğeri ise yerleşmek ve eşiktelikteki konumlarını yeniden çerçevelemek olarak iki kategoriye ayrılmıştır. Çeşitli koşullara bağlı olarak, bu stratejilerin çelişkisi, ya kadınların var olan durumlarıyla başa çıkmalarına ve onlara uyum sağlamalarına yardımcı olmaları ya da kadınların eşiktelik haline geri dönmelerine neden olmalarıdır. Her ne şekilde olursa olsun, genel sonuç, kadınların daha fazla kişisel farkındalık ve güç kazanmış; aynı zamanda kendi hayatlarının hâkimiyetini yeniden elde etmiş olmalarıdır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Eşiktelik, Mülteciler, Zorla Yerinden Edilmek, Toplumsal Cinsiyet, Türkiye vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Besim Can Zirh, who wisely set me on the grounded theory journey. His patience, helpful comments, and constructive criticisms helped to sharpen my research and provide useful theoretical perspective. I would also like to thank Dr. Zana Çitak, for instructing from a place of deep care and interest, and for her guiding thoughts and suggestions, and Dr. Reyhan Atasü Topçuoğlu, for her astute comments and suggestions. I would also like to express my love and gratitude to my family; their support, love, and encouragement through the years have been a guiding light. My friends, both near and far, have also become family, and have walked much of this journey with me, providing space, love, wisdom, and encouragement for me as I went. To quote C.S. Lewis: may we continue on this journey further up, and further in. This research would not have been possible with out the courage of the women that agreed to be interviewed. Nor would it have been completed without those who came alongside to help as they could, from translating, editing, providing coffee, helping me process, and keeping me on track. These, and so many more, who give of themselves to help lessen the burdens of others, to them I am most grateful. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGERISM.................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT...................................................................................................iv ÖZ..................................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................viii TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................xiii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................xiv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose and Personal Connection.............................................................3 2. BACKGROUND AND FOUNDATION....................................................6 2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................6 2.2 Background to Migration in Turkey.........................................................7 2.2.1 Brief History of Migration into Turkey........................................7 2.2.2 The Current Situation in Turkey.................................................10 2.2.2.1 Syrians in Turkey................................................................10 2.2.2.2 Iraqis in Turkey...................................................................11 2.2.2.3 The Urban Component........................................................12 2.3 Women Refugees...............................................................................14 2.4 Acculturation, Adaptation, and the Resilience Process......................21 2.4.1 Factors in Adaptation..................................................................25 2.4.1.1 Social Support.....................................................................26 2.4.1.2 Personal Qualities...............................................................27 2.4.1.3 Education............................................................................28 2.4.1.4 Language.............................................................................29 2.4.1.5 Discrimination....................................................................29 ix 2.4.2 Economic Adaptation.................................................................30 2.4.3 Adaptation in Limbo...................................................................32 2.5 Discussion .........................................................................................34