Sampling hidden populations: lessons learned from a telephone-based study of persons recently diagnosed with HIV (PRDH)

This paper describes a flexible, multi-stage, nonprobability sampling process used in a study of persons recently diagnosed as HIV-positive (PRDH). From July 2007 to June 2008, we used venue and chain-referral sampling strategies to recruit PRDH in the US. We sought equal distributions (n = 20) of eligible PRDH from four self-identified subgroups: gay or bisexual men (GBM), heterosexual men (HM), heterosexual women (HW), and male-tofemale transgender women (TGW). We categorized 30 sampling venues as websites, health clinics, or other networks. For 359 volunteer respondents, website venues proved more productive compared to health clinics and other sources. Website venues were most efficient for sampling recently diagnosed GBM and HW. Passive sampling methods were less effective in recruiting HM and TGW. Sampling approaches should be flexible and tailored to reach sub-categories within hidden populations. The sampling process itself produced valuable knowledge about social networks of hidden HIV populations.     

Schools and Refugee Children: The Case of Syrians in Turkey

Education is the most effective tool for migrant and refugee integration. When successfully provided, it is particularly useful for eradicating the traces of trauma among refugee children, offering means to social mobility and enhancing social and structural integration into society. This article introduces schooling options for Syrian children in Turkey and deals with how school types shape experiences of these students through the accounts of their parents with attention to the notion of institutional habitus. Drawing on a comparative qualitative case study of refugee children in Temporary Education Centres and Public Schools in Turkey, it specifically investigates how schools with their practices, organization, and regulations contribute to or hinder the integration and adaptation of Syrian refugee children to school and society in Turkey.     

Refugees and Elections: The Effects of Syrians on Voting Behavior in Turkey

In the wake of the Syrian civil war, more than three million people have fled to Turkey, which now hosts the largest refugee population on earth. Making up 4.42 per cent of the total population in Turkey as of February 2018, Syrian refugees are nevertheless spread unevenly within its borders. The ratio of refugees to the local population ranges from as high as 99per cent in the city of Kilis to as low as 0.05per cent in Sinop. This article presents findings from the empirical study of the effect of this geographical variation on election outcomes in Turkey, after the arrival of major refugee populations in 2012. Drawing on a unique subnational dataset and ordinary least squares (OLS), generalized least squares (GLS), and difference‐in‐differences (DiD) regressions, the study compares cities hosting few refugees (control group) with cities with large refugee populations (treatment group) to determine whether significant differences in voting patterns emerged. Our findings show a negative, but insignificant, impact on the incumbent party. The findings have policy implications for Turkey as well as any country that experiences a considerable flow of refugees.     

Changing the Status Quo of Migration and Asylum Policies in Turkey: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

Turkey has been experiencing a migration policy transformation in the wake of a new ruling entitled the ‘Foreigners and International Protection Law’ (FIPL). This qualitative inquiry investigates this major change process by focusing on the planned reorganisation which is a result of the legislation process, with the aim of connecting the change process to a change model. The researcher interviewed twenty-seven middle and upper-level managers and experts from the Foreigners, Border, and Asylum Department (FBAD) and Asylum and Migration Bureau (AMB) of the Turkish Ministry of the Interior. Both their implementation of the change process and perceptions on such a transformation period were investigated. The study also examined the change process of the irregular migration and asylum regime within Turkey’s bid for full European Union membership as well as implementation of the draft FIPL. This study provides an example of a policy change process by analysing how governmental practice and legislation have evolved with regard to irregular migration, asylum seekers, and refugees in Turkey. The results noticeably reveal that, instead of seeing irregular migration and asylum as merely a threat to national security or a welfare issue, Turkey has chosen a way of developing a humanitarian approach in both the legislative and administrative fields. This is the first study which attempts to analyse a particular policy change process in the migration and asylum regime in Turkey. The results could influence policy dynamics and set priorities by suggesting policy solutions.     

The right to education of children and youngsters from refugee families in Europe#

Abstract

The right to education of children and youth from asylum seeker and refugee families is currently being threatened in Europe. Two factors explain this: the sudden and disorganised arrival of large numbers of asylum seeker families, and the inconsistent integration of those seeking refugee status and those who have gained such status. The actual implementation of the right to education for asylum seekers and refugees is a result of a complex combination of factors related to the asylum seeking process: demographic, psychological, economic, legal and sociological. Asylum seeker and refugee education are impacted significantly by these factors. This paper tries to explore whether EU Member States are coping successfully with such dimensions. We provide information on the current situation in Europe, as well as a summary of the latest policy recommendations aimed at improving the present situation.     

The role of arts in raising ethical awareness and knowledge of the European refugee crisis among social work students. An example from the classroom

This paper presents and discusses an arts-based project, carried out by the first-year students in the classroom, at the Department of Social Work, in Athens, Greece. The project was designed for raising ethical awareness and knowledge of the 2015 Europe’s refugee crisis among social work students. The purpose of this project was three-fold: (1) to help students to better understand the refugee crisis as an emerging problem in Europe and in the rest of the world; (2) to help students raise their ethical awareness about the plight of refugees and to learn how to avoid discrimination and racism; and (3) to improve students’ abilities to work effectively with refugee populations. The project used art-based activities (drawing, writing, photos, etc.) as a powerful pedagogical tool for teaching students and supporting their learning in the classroom. As the literature has shown, the use of arts in social work education helps student to learn through an artistic and creative way and provides a secure base, from which they can explore real-life situations and try to give meaning to them.     

土耳其阿莱维问题的历史嬗变及其和解进程

阿莱维派是历史上在安纳托利亚地区形成的伊斯兰教什叶派分支,在奥斯曼帝国时期曾受到数百年的宗教歧视和政治压迫。土耳其共和国建立后,世俗化和现代化改革在解除对阿莱维派的宗教歧视的同时,也对阿莱维派的宗教体制和信仰体系造成了冲击,宗教传统的迅速衰落导致该派出现了严重的认同危机。为摆脱边缘化的社会地位,阿莱维派寻求恢复传统宗教文化和信仰体系,进而催生了阿莱维复兴运动。随着宗教认同的回归和市民社会组织的建立,阿莱维派开始提出政治认同诉求,导致阿莱维问题逐渐凸显。土耳其阿莱维问题是指阿莱维派追求宗教平等地位的历史过程和现实困境。正义与发展党执政后启动了阿莱维问题和解进程,从法律层面推动阿莱维派组织的合法化,建立了阿莱维问题的和解对话机制,从国家层面承认了阿莱维问题的存在,并在关键性议题上展现出努力推动和解进程的积极姿态。     

Collaboration patterns among Swedish professionals in the repatriation of unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children: an explorative study

This study explores patterns of collaboration between Swedish professionals involved in the repatriation of unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children. A qualitative case study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 20 statutory social workers, social workers at care homes, police officers, Swedish Migration Board officers, and legal guardians. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data. The results showed low levels of collaboration among the professionals and the use of different strategies by the professionals to manage their work tasks. Patterns were found among the professionals: some tended to isolate themselves from interaction and acted on the basis of personal preference, and others tended to behave sensitively, withdraw, and become passive observers rather than active partners in the repatriation process. These behaviours made it difficult for the relevant professionals to employ dignity and efficiency in the repatriation of unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children.     

Reviewing building construction statistics in Turkey: Stakeholders’ perspective

Construction is one of the industries of strategic economic importance. Governments using their national institutions are involved in the collection of economic statistics, which indicate the state of their economy in the form of an annual time series. However, the completeness and accuracy of these statistics is frequently questioned by the stakeholders within the sector. Therefore there is an increasing need for accurate, manageable and reliable statistics to enable sound analysis of the construction sector. The main purpose of this research is to review building construction statistics in Turkey. The objectives of the review are to 1) engage with users to ascertain their views on the statistics and to identify their needs, and 2) investigate whether the statistics in their present form continue to meet user needs, and identify options for change. As part of the review, a user consultation exercise is carried out to identify whether user needs are met by the statistics, as well as to ascertain users’ views on the European Statistical System (ESS) key dimensions of the quality of the statistics. This review of building construction statistics will facilitate statistical information to be presented in a more comprehensive manner, with sufficient detail, highly reliable in terms of quality and responsive to dynamic changes of the sector (such as inflation and structural adjustment policies).     

当代土耳其智库的发展及其影响

土耳其是最早建立智库的中东国家之一,智库对土耳其内政外交的影响日益显著。本文追溯了土耳其智库的发展演变,对土耳其现有的智库做了基本分类,并在此基础上分析了土耳其智库的特点,以及对土耳其外交政策和中土关系的影响。值得注意的是,土耳其智库在2000年以后发展迅速,在国内政治的影响下,智库在与政府的关系、意识形态和人力资源等方面形成了自身的特点,但也存在不少问题。本文认为,当前"一带一路"倡议使中国与沿线国家的双边关系加深,促进了中土两国的智库交流,为中土之间的互信、合作增添了新渠道。但与此同时,应加强对土耳其极端民族主义智库活动和动向的关注,以切实保障中土在"一带一路"框架下务实合作的成果。     

Beyond essentialism: negotiating Alevi identity in urban Turkey

In Turkey, the Alevi cultural ‘revival’ of the 1990s has been followed by a multifaceted identity-formation process that involves conflicting religio-cultural agendas, intersecting discourses and differing politico-ideological affiliations. Lacking a focus, this process continues to trigger an enriching public debate on Alevi identity, which has been coined an ‘enigma’ and is considered to be associated with ‘ambiguity’ and ‘ambivalence’ by many. What lies beneath the veil of ambiguity has to do with the ‘anti-essentialist’ transformation of Alevism, which reaches beyond religious, cultural and political orthodoxies. As a result of diverse political loyalties, contestation of discourses on Alevi culture and identity and the equivocal character of the Alevi subject, the Alevis seem to be resisting essentialism. In urban Turkey, an anti-essentialist discourse potentially influencing Alevism, I argue, enables the Alevi self to act with a sense of reflexivity and to search for ways to avoid political, cultural or religious orthodoxies.     

Gender as Symbolic Capital and Violence: The Case of Corporate Elites in Turkey

Based on a Bourdieusian approach, drawing on qualitative analyses of 63 life interviews, our study demonstrates that gender is performed as both symbolic capital and violence by corporate elites within the dominant ideologies of patriarchy and family in Turkey. Our analysis reveals that, in the male‐dominated context of Turkey, female elites appear to favour male alliances as a tactical move in order to acquire and maintain status in their organizations, whereas male elites appear to remain blind to the privileges and constraints of their own gendered experience of symbolic capital and violence. Our study also illustrates that gender order is still preserved, despite beliefs to the contrary that equality in education, skills, experience and job performance may liberate women and men from gender‐based outcomes at work.     

A dynamic econometric model of suicides in Turkey

This study is the first attempt to empirically examine the determinants of suicides in the case of Turkey using the time-series data for the period 1974–2007. This research proposes that the suicides in Turkey are related to some economic and social factors and they exhibit a dynamic relationship amongst them. Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration testing procedure is employed to obtain the short-run and long-run elasticities of suicides with respect to per capita real income, divorce rates, urbanization and liquidation. The empirical results reveal that the urbanization has the highest impact on suicides, which is followed by per capita real income and liquidation. The results also provide some important policy recommendations to reduce suicides.     

土耳其汉学研究与孔子学院发展现状

土耳其是中东阿拉伯一伊斯兰世界重要国家。近年来,随着中土两国经济贸易的飞速发展,两国间文化交流不断深化,本文在系统总结土耳其汉语专业与汉学学习的基本情况、土耳其汉学研究的历史与现状以及土耳其孔子学院发展等基本情况的基础上指出,随着中土两国关系可期的美好前景,土耳其汉学教学与汉学研究、孔子学院发展等正处于历史最好最快时期。本文分析了孔子学院发展所存在的问题与对策,以期为中国语言与文化在土耳其传播有所启示。     

The use of cultural repertoires of everyday nationhood and citizenship in national identity boundary-drawing: The case of Syrian refugees in Turkey

Elaborating on salient contextual factors, such as historical conditions, national history, militarised masculinity, and language, this study looks at how repertoires of everyday nationhood are deployed in relation to boundary-drawing in the context of the recent refugee influx in Turkey. Drawing on ethnographic observations, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with ordinary Turkish citizens in Adana, this paper sheds light on the complexities of everyday understandings of citizenship and nationhood with regards to the emergence of ‘insider versus outsiders’ notions. Results suggest that ordinary citizens evoke various notions of nationhood in everyday life in drawing boundaries against ‘outsiders’ (i.e., refugees) by deploying historically rooted national identity constructions (militaristic, unitary) and symbols (language, flag). This article, therefore, reveals a national identity boundary-drawing mechanism involving widespread adherence to a militarised sense of nationhood, related more to other ideas of belonging than ethnicity. It further indicates that ordinary citizens, in their narratives, link such constructions and symbols with historical and current political contexts (e.g., the conflict between Turks and Arabs during WW1, or; current military operations in Syria).     

Feminist Politics in Contemporary Turkey: Neoliberal Attacks,Feminist Claims to the Public

This article aims to offer a critical reading of the feminist claims to the public sphere in Turkey in the 2000s when there was transformation in the way public and private spheres are defined. We try to link the feminist claims to the public with the shifts in the patriarchal regime of the country in the decade. The main argument of the article is that feminist politics of the 2000s had the potential for an alternative imagination of the public and that they also faced the risk of assimilation into the de-/re-publicization process of the same period. The article starts with a brief outline of the post-1980 period, which hosted both the emergence of independent feminist organizing and the neoliberal restructuration of Turkey’s politics. It continues with the analysis of the Justice and Development Party’s terms in government, as the consolidation of neoliberal restructuration process. We conclude with the (possible) feminist interventions to the new mode of patriarchy that emerges out of this process.     

Spatial Patterns of Marriage Migration in Turkey

Even though recent societal phenomena such as a heightened sense of individualism, economic well-being, and institutionalization have caused a shift in people's life course and made their lives less standard in developed societies, marriage still remains an important life course event in Turkey. Between the years 1995 and 2000 marriage migration comprised 7.4% of the interprovincial migration in Turkey, and of these marriage migrants 94% were woman. Young Turkish women tend toward marriage migration to escape the patriarchal family structure and gain more autonomy, economic security, and well-being. Focusing on the spatial patterns of marriage migration relationships in Turkey, this study seeks to reveal the economic and sociocultural background of male and female marriage migration and to visualize, explore, and model spatial data by using spatial data analysis (SDA) techniques. The results showed that marriage migration in different regions of Turkey varied by gender. Even though SDA techniques have previously been used in other social sciences studies, no other marriage migration study in the literature uses these techniques, thus enabling the article to contribute to the literature.     

The 800-Year-Old Westernization Dream of the East-Mediterranean Turks: Thinking the EU Membership of Turkey

I discuss the process of Turkey’s efforts to apply for EU accession, providing ingenuous thoughts and historical references going back to the Ottoman Empire, and the conceptual significance of the “West”. The processes of democratization and reforms in Turkey, initiated by Atatürk are seen as a merit in itself, and not only as a obligation undertaken because of prospective EU integration. Following the reformist ideas has not been always easy and supported by all the political parties and the population in general. But Turkey nowadays is the only secular Islamic country which managed to introduce important reforms in areas such as freedom of thought, freedom of speaking mother language (minority languages), abolition of death penalty. Many topics that were taboo until recently, such as the transparency and accountability of the government, are now discussed openly by broad society. EU could be a catalyst of the reforms and is supported by the general public, which believes that EU could create a better future for their children, but also will benefit from Turkey’s membership, to create a world where people can live together with all their differences in peace and democracy.     

Intersectionality in Gender Mainstreaming:Equity Organizing in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Historically, Turkey is home to multiple identities and cultures. In following with the critiques of Diversity Mainstreaming approach toward Gender Mainstreaming, this article argues that recognition of identities can be possible if an intersectional approach is adopted. To overcome the particular challenges of Gender Mainstreaming’s implementation in Turkey’s multicultural society, this article introduces a concept that supplements Gender Mainstreaming, called Equity Organizing, which further develops the views on intersectionality and equity that Diversity Mainstreaming proposes. It is different from Diversity Mainstreaming because it seeks to address the challenges to democracy in strong central and authoritarian leaning states. Equity Organizing is committed to the construction of progressive state policies for social justice through the realization of diverse identities.