Causes and Consequences of Public Attitudes toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Year 2018, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 111 - 139, 03.06.2018

Cengiz Erişen

Abstract

Since the
beginning of the Syrian civil war, millions of refugees have to settle in Turkey.
Today, although it has not been acknowledged politically, Turkish society has a
Syrian minority. The process through which the Syrians could integrate to the society
at large is an important challenge and thus in requirement of state policies.
To that end, this article relies on intergroup theories of prejudice to
understand the relations between the Turkish society and the Syrians and
addresses the level of support/opposition for the governmental policies dealing
with the issue. I use a representative sample of the Turkish population to test
these expectations. Empirical analysis presents that social distance is an
important indicator of prejudice as well as negative emotions toward the
Syrians. I conclude with discussion of the societal and policy implications of
this study.

Keywords

Syrian refugees, perceived threat, prejudice, emotions, intergroup relations

Türkiye’de Suriyeli Mültecilere Karşı Kamusal Tutumların Neden ve Sonuçları

Abstract

Suriye iç
savaşının başladığı günden bu yana, milyonlarca mülteci Türkiye’ye yerleşmek
zorunda kaldı. Günümüzde, her ne kadar siyasi olarak kabul edilmemiş olsa da,
Türk toplumunun Suriyeli bir azınlığı bulunmaktadır. Suriyelilerin toplumun
geneline nasıl uyum sağlayacağı önemli bir sorunsal olmakla beraber, bu konuda
devlet politikalarına ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, bu çalışma, gruplar arası iletişim teorilerindeki önyargı
unsuruna dayanarak Türk toplumu ile Suriyeliler arasındaki ilişkiyi anlamaya ve
konuyla alakalı hükümet politikalarına yönelik destek/karşıtlık seviyesini
açıklamaya çalışmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Türkiye nüfusunu temsil eden veri kullanarak
beklentilerimi test etmekteyim. Görgül analizler göstermektedir ki,
Suriyelilere yönelik olumsuz duygular kadar, sosyal mesafe de önyargıyı artıran
önemli bir unsurdur. Makaleyi, çalışmanın sosyal ve siyasi etkilerini
tartışarak bitirmekteyim.

Keywords

Suriyeli mülteciler, tehdit algısı, önyargı, duygular, gruplar arası ilişkiler

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