THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL REFLECTIONS OF MIGRATION FROM SYRIA TO TURKEY: THE CASE OF GAZİANTEP
Keywords:
International migration, civil war, Syria, SyriansAbstract
It is assumed that migration is a concept as old as human history. Turkey has witnessed many migratory movements both during the Ottoman period and since the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye. As a result of the political conflicts that started in the Syrian Arab Republic in March 2011, Türkiye has faced a huge wave of migration. This study focuses on the effects of the migration and the thoughts and attitudes of Turkish people in general and Gaziantep in particular towards the Syrian migrants. In the first study, face-to-face surveys were conducted with Syrians living in Gaziantep. In these surveys, the reasons for migrants’ arrival in Türkiye, their economic situation, the attitudes they encountered and their thoughts on returning to their homeland were investigated. In the second study, in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of the local population on the economic and cultural dimensions of migration, integration and return to Syria. The findings of the study are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the social, economic and cultural impacts of migration movements from Syria to Turkey.
