State, Refugees, and Civil Society in Turkey: Transformation Under Control

Year 2024, , 115 - 141, 23.02.2024

Birce Altıok

https://doi.org/10.53376/ap.2024.05

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The forced migration movement from Syria, which began in 2011, has brought about significant changes in civil society within Turkey. The already existing complex relationship between the state and civil society, is further diversified in the context of forced migration, presenting the need to focus on the provision of humanitarian assistance, access to services, and integration of Syrian refugees who are legally under temporary protection, without international refugee recognition. Furthermore, state-driven cross-border humanitarian operations and security-oriented state policies also shape this landscape. Therefore, the interplay between civil society actors –existing, government-supported, and newly emerging– and security-oriented state policies contributes to this transformation. Historical and political realities, alongside global-local crises, influence the trajectory of change within civil society, positioning authorities as pivotal decision-makers in managing individuals’ movement. Through in-depth interviews in different cities of Turkey with NGOs and refugee-led civil society members in 2018, the article uncovers the formation and progression of relationships between civil society actors and the state, revealing adaptations and adjustments based on contextual circumstances. The article seeks to move beyond comprehensive liberal and developmental perspectives, instead focusing on the evolving dynamics of state control within migration-related civil society.

Keywords

Turkey, Civil Society, Forced Migration, State Control, Humanitarian Assistance

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was obtained for this study from Koç University Ethics Committee for Social Sciences for the periods spanning from March 25, 2015, to 2016, and from June 13, 2017, to 2018 (one-year periods), under protocol number 2015.076.IRB3.034.

Türkiye'de Devlet, Mülteciler ve Sivil Toplum: Kontrol Altındaki Dönüşüm

Abstract

2011 yılında başlayan Suriye’den zorunlu göç hareketi Türkiye’deki sivil toplumda önemli değişiklikleri beraberinde getirdi. Zorunlu göç bağlamında devlet ile sivil toplum arasındaki karmaşık ilişki; insani yardım, hizmetlere erişimin kolaylaştırılması ve uluslararası mülteci statüsü olmayan geçici koruma altındaki Suriyeli mültecilerin entegrasyonu dahil olmak üzere farklı düzeylerde farklı yaklaşımlarla ele alındı. Bu süreçte ayrıca sınır ötesi insani yardım operasyonları da bu ilişkinin şekillenmesinde rol oynadı. Dolayısıyla hükümet destekli olan ya da olmayan sivil toplum aktörleri ile güvenlik odaklı devlet politikaları arasındaki etkileşim sivil toplumdaki dönüşüme önemli katkıda bulunduğundan bahsedilebilir. Bu makale Türkiye vakası özelinde, küresel-yerel krizlerin tarihsel ve politik gerçeklerle birlikte ele alındığında merkezi otoritenin ve politikalarının bireylerin hareketliliğini yönetmede önemli karar alıcılar haline gelmesine ve sivil toplumdaki değişimin gidişatını nasıl etkilediğine değinmektedir. Makale, Türkiye’nin çeşitli şehirlerinde 2018 yılında STK’lar ve mültecilerin dahil olduğu sivil toplum üyeleriyle gerçekleşen derinlemesine görüşmeler aracılığıyla sivil toplum aktörleri ile devlet arasındaki ilişkilerin oluşumu ve değişimini ele almaktadır. Bahsi geçen bağlamsal koşullara dayalı uyarlamalara ve düzenlemelere odaklanmaktadır. Böylelikle bu makale, kapsamlı liberal ve kalkınmacı bakış açılarının ötesine geçmeyi amaçlayarak, göçle ilişkili sivil toplumdaki devlet kontrolünün evrilen dinamiklerine değinmektedir.

Keywords

Türkiye, Sivil Toplum, Zorunlu Göç, Devlet Kontrolü, Dönüşüm, İnsani Yardım

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was obtained for this study from Koç University Ethics Committee for Social Sciences for the periods spanning from March 25, 2015, to 2016, and from June 13, 2017, to 2018 (one-year periods), under protocol number 2015.076.IRB3.034.

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