MIGRATORY KITCHEN: THE EXAMPLE OF SYRIANS IN MARDIN

Year 2018, Volume: 21 Issue: 2, 86 - 113, 29.10.2018

Nazife Gürhan

https://doi.org/10.18490/sosars.476035

Abstract

Due
to immigration, lifestyle and dietary habits transform depending on the change
in the socio-economic situation, social position, and status of migrants. These
changes can be observed in various stages, such as in the availability of food
and its preparation, and consumption. This
article attempts to demonstrate the transformation in dietary habits after
immigration of people who migrated to Turkey since 2011 due to the Syrian war.
The study focused on the
city of Mardin, located in southeastern Anatolia, and was conducted in the form
of fieldwork. Using snowball sampling methods, participant observation, and
qualitative research techniques, in-depth interviews were made with 25
people who migrated to Mardin from different regions of Syria. The change in dietary habits varies greatly in parallel
with the amount of change in socio-economic status to a large extent. However,
there was some differentiation in terms of food structure and diet. This study
shows that immigrants’ views on food were different. It was observed that
Syrians continued their traditional dietary habits or fully adopt the dietary
habits of the new country or engage in a hybridization of dietary practices due
to cultural transition.

Keywords

Immigration, Food, Change, Adaptation, Kitchen Acculturation, Syrian Immigrants

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