MiReKoc-BROAD-ER Wednesday Seminar Series by Elif Topal

Dear friends and colleagues, The MiReKoc-BROAD-ER Wednesday Seminar Series for Fall 2023 continues with Dr. Elif Topal’s talk “Migrants in a Small City of Turkey: On the Edge of Coexistence” on Wednesday, Jan 10th, at 12:00 in SOS 143. It will also be available online via Zoom. Registration is required for all participants joining online, and you can register on our MiReKoc website (mirekoc.ku.edu.tr) or here at https://kocun.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpceiqqzwqHtTk4ANC22YYlQ-lAjxCA2PR#/registration Abstract: The research questions how migrants are welcomed and accepted in the city examines the relationship between poverty and migration, and how the experience of coexistence has been shaped after the earthquake. The study examines the coexistence experiences of migrants and locals in relatively small cities. Focusing on the Sanayi Neighbourhood of Elazığ, the study is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted between July and August 2021. It reveals that while settlement choice and social relations play a significant role in facilitating the post-migration process, neighborhoods play a limited role in strengthening ties between locals and migrants, and in some areas, there is almost no contact between the two communities. The findings point to a cycle of social exclusion involving locals and migrants and suggest that the state is not sufficiently focused on integration issues. Due to these shortcomings, some of the tasks that the state should perform are taken over by civil society organizations or migrant communities. It is also emphasized that actors operating at the local level, such as local institutions, mukhtars, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian services, play a decisive role in interacting with migrants.