TURKISH DIASPORA in NORWAY Or Has the Norwegian Politics Ever
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The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Eight departments, associated research institutions and the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine in Oslo. Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master thesis are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the requirements under the Noragric Master programme “International Environmental Studies”, “International Development Studies” and “International Relations”. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. © Ulaş Korhan, May 2014 [email protected] Noragric Department of International Environment and Development Studies P.O. Box 5003 N-1 s Norway Tel.: +47 64 96 52 00 Fax: +47 64 96 52 01 Internet: http://www.umb.no/noragric ii Declaration I, Ulaş Korhan, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Signature...................................... Date........................................... iii ABSTRACT This qualitative study suggests that the Turkish people established their diasporic group soon after their first arrival to Norway. In the beginning, there was a small number of Turks in Norway, so they could come together under one agenda and act in unison. However, following the increase in their population, their character became as heterogeneous as the population in Turkey. In other words, there became a rich diversity among the members. Despite the heterogeneity in the Turkish community in Norway they have been able to come together during certain circumstances. Therefore, from a constructivist point of view, they have influenced the Norwegian politics through identity making with the help of organizations, creating awareness through demonstrations and exerted influence via the usage the media. iv v To my family, Fazilet, Zeki and Ezgi And to my wife Johanna vi Acknowledgements I want to give the first thanks to the old members of the Turkish diaspora in Norway. They always welcomed me in their meeting place and answered my questions wholeheartedly. Among them I want to give special thanks to: Lütfü Güven, Altan Gülpınar Leon Hazan, Hüseyin Burkan and Nasrullah Kakış Without your interesting experiences and your initiatives in the old days, this thesis would not have been as interesting. I give special thanks to Ferruh Özalp and Salman Türken for not only giving insightful information but also for motivation. I want to thank Naci Akkök and Tahsin Candaş and many others who informed me a lot about the 80s Turkish diaspora in Norway. Thank you my supervisor Iver B. Neumann. Not only for super pinpointing comments and advices, but also for encouragement. Thank you very much Serap Keles for helping me in the editing part. And Thank you very much my wife Johanna Hjertquist, your help was enormous. vii Table of Contents LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................................................... XII 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1 OBJECTIVES, RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS .................................................................................................. 5 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Research questions .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................ 7 TURK / TURKISH .................................................................................................................................................................... 7 DIASPORA ................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 POLITICAL INFLUENCE ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 2 RESEARCH STRATEGIES .......................................................................................................................... 14 DEDUCTIVE AND INDUCTIVE APPROACHES ...................................................................................................... 15 RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................................................. 16 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD .................................................................................................................................. 16 CRITERIA IN SOCIAL RESEARCH DESIGN.......................................................................................................................... 16 CASE STUDY DESIGN ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 RESEARCH METHODS ......................................................................................................................................... 19 INFORMATION GATHERING ................................................................................................................................................. 19 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH ......................................................................................................................................... 20 SAMPLING ............................................................................................................................................................ 21 NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING METHOD ......................................................................................................................... 21 Key informant sampling ............................................................................................................................................... 22 Snowball sampling.......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Convenience Sampling .................................................................................................................................................. 23 INTERVIEWS ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW .................................................................................................................................................. 23 SEMI-STRUCTURED AND NON-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS ........................................................................................... 24 LIFE HISTORY INTERVIEWS ................................................................................................................................................ 25 OBSERVATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 viii PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION ............................................................................................................................................. 26 NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 27 OTHER ISSUES IN INFORMATION GATHERING ................................................................................................... 28 LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES ........................................................................................................................ 28 3 THEORIZING DIASPORA AND ITS POLITICAL INFLUENCE .......................................................... 31 RESEARCH THEORY ............................................................................................................................................ 31 GROUNDED THEORY ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................................... 32 CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY ................................................................................................................................................