Investigating Contemporary Discourses on Turkish Americanness. Tilburg University
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Tilburg University Who is Turkish American? Leri, A. Publication date: 2014 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Leri, A. (2014). Who is Turkish American? Investigating contemporary discourses on Turkish Americanness. Tilburg University. 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Investigating Contemporary Discourses on Turkish Americanness Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan Tilburg University op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. Ph. Eijlander, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de Ruth First zaal van de Universiteit op dinsdag 9 september 2014 om 16.15 uur door Alice Leri geboren op 11 oktober 1983 te La Spezia, Italië. Promotor: Prof.dr. O.M. Heynders Copromotor: Dr. P.K. Varis Overige Commissieleden: Prof. dr. J.M.E. Blommaert Prof. dr. J.W.M. Kroon Prof. dr. A.P.C. Swanenburg Prof. dr. K. Yagmur Dr. R. d’Amora Dr. G.E.H.I. Franssen ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Among the many people I would like to thank my first words are for Odile Heynders and Piia Varis as no one like them deserves my gratitude. Odile with her honesty and insightful critiques has been an invaluable supervisor and I cannot thank her enough for this. Piia, on the other hand, was my friend, my supporter, my teacher, my guide. Without her I sincerely doubt this dissertation would have ever been written. Thanks a lot. I would also like to thank all the members of the commissions for their insightful comments and suggestions. In particular I would like to thank Kutlay Yagmur who was the first to believe in my project back in 2008/2009 when he “brought” me to Tilburg and Rosita D’Amora who revised my very first proposal draft. Thanks a lot also to Sjaak Kroon for his help and feedbacks during the years, to Sander Bax, Geertjan de Vugt and Sanna Lehtonen for the pleasant hours and the literary theory seminars, to all the TRAPS for the stimulating discussions and to Donatella Izzo for her interest and ideas. But also thanks a lot to all the ones in Tilburg that discussed and laughed with me in these six years. A very huge thanks goes to all my informants, for their time, their patience, their enthusiasm and the delicious food. Thanks to ATAA for its cooperation. And thanks to my friend Chris for his help and the unusual time in DC. Thanks also to all my friends in Aachen, La Spezia and Columbia who never left me alone celebrating life and changes. Especially thanks a lot to Buki, Fei, Gabi, Marta and Roberta for the time together, the phone calls, the dinners and the night chatters. I cannot imagine these last years without you. Thanks a lot again. In fine, ma non per importanza, ringrazio i miei genitori Clara e Marco che non hanno mai smesso di credere in me e sostenermi durante questi anni cosi’ come Francesca, Caterina, Loredana, Spenky, Irin, Afredo, Maria, Jana, Ermanno e Mario che mi sono sempre stati vicini anche quando io ero lontana. Last but not least thanks a lot to my nearest ones. Thanks to my sweet Benni for her unconditional love, her tenderness, her kisses and the long afternoons together. But especially thanks a lot to my husband Andrea. Sei il mio sorriso, sei il mio compagno, sei la mia terra. Ti amo. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Turkish American Studies ............................................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 What is this Study about? ................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Structure of the Study ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Re-contextuaLizing Turkish Migration to the US ............................................................................................................. 14 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 2.2 Turkish Migration to the US ......................................................................................................................................... 14 2.3 Who is ‘Turkish American’? ......................................................................................................................................... 19 2.4 TransnationaLism, Super-diversity and the Turkish American Case ......................................................... 23 Chapter 3 .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 TheoreticaL Framework and OveraLL MethodoLogicaL Considerations ................................................................... 28 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 3.2 EssentiaLism and the Crisis of Traditional Identities ........................................................................................ 31 3.3 Hybrid and Hyphenated Identities: Turkish-Americans ................................................................................. 36 3.4 Identities as Discursive Practices .............................................................................................................................. 39 3.5 Defining Discourse ........................................................................................................................................................... 45 3.6 CriticaL Discourse AnaLysis: Basic tenets ................................................................................................................ 46 3.7.1 ContextuaLizing Identities ......................................................................................................................................... 49 3.7.2 The Work of Contextualization: Fundamental Concepts ........................................................................ 50 3.7.3 The Work of ContextuaLization: AdditionaL Concepts .............................................................................. 54 Who is Turkish American? 2 Investigating Contemporary Discourses on Turkish Americanness 3.8 OveraLL MethodologicaL Considerations on the Use of Different Sources ................................................ 58 Chapter 4 .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Identity Discourses in Cyberspace ........................................................................................................................................ 60 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 60 4.2 The Cyberspace as a PubLic Sphere ........................................................................................................................... 61 4.3. SeLection and AnaLysis of data .................................................................................................................................... 63 4.4 The Assembly of Turkish American Associations .............................................................................................. 66 4.5 The Turkish American IsLamic Institute ................................................................................................................. 78 4.6 ConcLusions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 86 Chapter 5 .........................................................................................................................................................................................