Brigitte Doctoral Brigitte suter s uter t hesis in hesis tales of transit e Sub-Saharan African Migrants’ Experiences in Istanbul thnic an thnic D t Migration This book presents the transit experiences of migrants from Sub- of ales Saharan African countries in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork, the peculiarities of a state of t ransit transit and its impact on everyday life are presented. These issues are s tu discussed with the aid of the theoretical perspectives of social net- D ies 2012 ies works analysis on the one hand and migration and mobility on the other. Insecurity, uncertainty and an overall precariousness crystallise as constitutive of the state of transit. The thesis highlights the proces- sual nature of mobility and immobility strategies. The issue of migrant capital, conceptualised as local knowledge with a particular focus on the migrant experience, is found to be a crucial aspect accounting for immobility in transit. The thesis further identifies a pattern of social stratification based on immobility intersected with legal status and migrant capital. It argues that this stratification is produced by transit movements and, in turn, that it reproduces transit movements. Rela- ted to this social stratification is the presentation of Istanbul as the socio-economic context offering conditions for both establishment in situ and for establishment in mobility. ISBN 978-91-7519-786-9 ISBN 978-91-7104-442-6 ISSN 0282-9800 ISSN 1652-3997 Tales of TransiT This doctoral thesis has been produced within the research and research studies frame- work at REMESO, Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Linköping University. It is also a product of research at MIM, Malmö University, and the close collaboration between REMESO and MIM. Malmö Studies in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, No. 11 2012 Linköping Studies in Art and Science, No. 561 2012 Distributed by: REMESO, Department of Social and Welfare Studies Linköping University, Norrköping SE-60174 Norrköping, Sweden MIM, Malmö Insititute for Studies of Migration Diversity and Welfare Malmö University SE-20506 Malmö, Sweden © 2012 Brigitte Suter, REMESO, Linköping University and MIM, Malmö University Photos by the author Front page: Tarlabaşı, Istanbul, Oktober 2008 ISBN 978-91-7104-442-6 (Malmö) ISSN 1652-3997 (Malmö) ISBN 978-91-7519-786-9 (Linköping) ISSN 0282-9800 (Linköping) Service Point Holmbergs, Malmö 2012 BrigiTTe suTer Tales of TransiT Sub-Saharan African Migrants’ Experiences in Istanbul Malmö University, 2012 Linköping University, 2012 aBsTracT This dissertation presents the transit experiences of migrants from Sub-Saharan African countries in the Turkish metropolis of Istan- bul. Although the narratives of the individuals met in the course of fieldwork in Istanbul are the primary focus, the thesis also outlines the larger macro-structural conditions faced. The overarching goal of this thesis is thus, through the experiences of the migrants them- selves, to critically approach and discuss the concept of transit with the aid of the theoretical perspectives of social networks analysis and mobility. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and an explorative design, this thesis investigates the ‘black-box’ that the state of transit has hith- erto often represented in the literature by focusing on migrants’ ex- periences of mobility, immobility and social networks. Insecurity, uncertainty, and an overall precariousness constitute the state of transit. Light is shed on questions relating to the peculiarities of a state of transit and its impact on everyday life. The thesis highlights the processual nature of mobility and immobility strategies. The is- sue of migrant capital (conceptualised as local knowledge, with a particular focus on the migrant experience) is found to be a crucial aspect of immobility in transit. The thesis further identifies a pattern of social stratification based on immobility intersected with legal status and migrant capital, and argues that this stratification is pro- duced by transit movements and, in turn, reproduces transit move- ments. Related to social stratification is the presentation of Istanbul as the socio-economic context that offers prerequisites for establish- ment in situ and establishment in mobility. 5 conTenTs AbstracT .......................................................................................... 5 AcknowledgEMENTS .................................................................. 11 FrontispIEcE .................................................................................. 14 chApTER 1: IntroducTION............................................................................... 15 contextualising the study .................................................................................16 From transit migration to transit .......................................................................18 Mobility and power .................................................................................. 22 Outline of the thesis ......................................................................................... 23 chApTER 2: pETER’S IstanbUL: from INSEcURIT y to routine .....................28 Early trajectories of mobility ........................................................................... 29 peter’s start in Istanbul ..................................................................................... 29 Developing routines ...................................................................................31 Entering Tarlabașı ..................................................................................... 34 Meeting the newcomers ........................................................................... 36 back in Istanbul .............................................................................................. 40 peter’s shelter ............................................................................................. 42 Surviving .................................................................................................... 43 concrete plans to leave ............................................................................ 45 A new phase ................................................................................................... 47 Istanbul’s advantages... ............................................................................ 47 ...and disadvantages ................................................................................ 47 Moving up the ladder .................................................................................... 48 Epilogue ........................................................................................................... 49 chApTER 3: FIELD REALITIES ................................................................................50 Ethnography ..................................................................................................... 50 creating the field ..............................................................................................51 Interlocutors and periods of research ............................................................ 57 Fieldwork techniques ....................................................................................... 60 Ethical issues .....................................................................................................61 Transparency and reflexivity .......................................................................... 64 Emotions ..................................................................................................... 65 positionalities in effect ............................................................................... 67 power relations in the field ....................................................................... 73 The use of narrative material .......................................................................... 75 In conclusion .................................................................................................... 77 chApTER 4: bEINg IN IstanbUL .......................................................................79 On migration in Turkey .................................................................................... 80 Turkey as a transit country ........................................................................ 80 Legal issues in the field of migration and asylum ................................... 82 The Turkish asylum system ........................................................................ 82 Turkey-EU relations .................................................................................... 84 Turkey-Africa relations .............................................................................. 85 On the meaning of Istanbul ............................................................................ 88 Istanbul in the 21st century ........................................................................ 92 The neighbourhoods of Tarlabașı, Aksaray and Osmanbey ................ 96 The migrant landscape in Istanbul ......................................................... 102 Race and ethnicity in the field .......................................................................116 The concepts of ethnicity and race .........................................................117 The dynamics of boundary-making .......................................................119 On treatment by the general Turkish public .........................................