Urban Citizenship and Middle-Class Syrians in Istanbul: Navigating (In)Visibility and (Non)Belonging

Fri, April 25, 2025 3:00 PM - Fri, April 25, 2025 5:00 PM at 457 Berkey and Zoom

Ezgi Karaoğlu Dissertation Defense

https://msu.zoom.us/j/96565370180
Passcode: soc123

 

DISSERTATION TITLE:

 

Urban Citizenship and Middle-Class Syrians in Istanbul: Navigating (In)Visibility and (Non)Belonging

Abstract:

This dissertation explores the formation of urban citizenship among middle-class Syrian refugees in Istanbul in the absence of a formal state-led integration policy. Most Syrians initially arrived in Turkey intending to stay temporarily, hoping either to return to Syria once the war ended or to be resettled in a third country. However, as global resettlement opportunities declined and the war persisted for over a decade, Turkey became a long-term home for the majority. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, including in-depth interviews with middle-class Syrians and participant observation in cultural and artistic spaces established by Syrians, this study examines how refugees with high cultural capital navigate belonging, identity, and legal status amid legal ambiguity and social exclusion. Challenging policy and academic narratives that frame refugees as passive recipients of top-down integration or subjects of securitization, I highlight the bottom-up, everyday practices through which Syrian refugees assert agency and form attachments to specific neighborhoods and urban spaces in Istanbul. I introduce two pathways, Expats and Engagers, to describe distinct integration strategies shaped by Istanbul’s urban environment and Turkey’s broader sociopolitical dynamics. I also explore how access to Turkish citizenship influences feelings of belonging, particularly through formal political participation in the 2023 general elections. Finally, Syrian-established cultural spaces emerge as key sites where Syrian identity is expressed and connections to home are sustained. This dissertation contributes to debates on refugee integration, the role of political citizenship, the possibilities of urban citizenship, and the influence of cultural capital in shaping migratory experiences.

Committee: Stephanie Nawyn (chair), stef shuster, Xuefei Ren, Ani Sarkissian (Political Science)