Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya

In this paper, we focus on how refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan resettled in Konya, Turkey, use coping strategies in response to the ethnic categorization and exclusion policies of the local population. Employing ethnographic methodology combined with grounded theory, we con...

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Main Authors: Gamze Kaçar Tunç, Fuat Güllüpınar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Economy Culture and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/85A25A951C584083AAB7278C0BCF58DB
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author Gamze Kaçar Tunç
Fuat Güllüpınar
author_facet Gamze Kaçar Tunç
Fuat Güllüpınar
author_sort Gamze Kaçar Tunç
collection DOAJ
description In this paper, we focus on how refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan resettled in Konya, Turkey, use coping strategies in response to the ethnic categorization and exclusion policies of the local population. Employing ethnographic methodology combined with grounded theory, we conducted participant observations, as well as in–depth interviews with 65 refugee children. The family members of the children, as well as the local population, were also within the scope of the study. Furthermore, we conducted extensive interviews and observations in two different religious secondary schools attended by refugees. We aimed to understand their local experiences and intergroup relations by expanding the field. As a result, we observed that these children resisted societal pressure by developing various coping strategies such as emphasizing Muslim identity, attending schools as spaces for socializing, choosing to speak Turkish, standing with the strong, and building shared enjoyment or joining existing ones. These findings show that the refugee children do not passively submit to the conditions they find themselves in and do not simply embrace the impositions of power as they are.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2645-8772
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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series Journal of Economy Culture and Society
spelling doaj-art-df7d0a79adc04142a0e7761b83e06c2b2025-08-20T03:52:39ZengIstanbul University PressJournal of Economy Culture and Society2645-87722024-12-017015016410.26650/JECS2024-1475613123456Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in KonyaGamze Kaçar Tunç0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6291-8683Fuat Güllüpınar1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3661-7232Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi, Karaman, TurkiyeAnadolu Üniversitesi, Eskişehir, TürkiyeIn this paper, we focus on how refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan resettled in Konya, Turkey, use coping strategies in response to the ethnic categorization and exclusion policies of the local population. Employing ethnographic methodology combined with grounded theory, we conducted participant observations, as well as in–depth interviews with 65 refugee children. The family members of the children, as well as the local population, were also within the scope of the study. Furthermore, we conducted extensive interviews and observations in two different religious secondary schools attended by refugees. We aimed to understand their local experiences and intergroup relations by expanding the field. As a result, we observed that these children resisted societal pressure by developing various coping strategies such as emphasizing Muslim identity, attending schools as spaces for socializing, choosing to speak Turkish, standing with the strong, and building shared enjoyment or joining existing ones. These findings show that the refugee children do not passively submit to the conditions they find themselves in and do not simply embrace the impositions of power as they are.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/85A25A951C584083AAB7278C0BCF58DBrefugee childrensocial exclusionethnic identitycoping strategyethnographyturkey
spellingShingle Gamze Kaçar Tunç
Fuat Güllüpınar
Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
Journal of Economy Culture and Society
refugee children
social exclusion
ethnic identity
coping strategy
ethnography
turkey
title Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
title_full Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
title_fullStr Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
title_full_unstemmed Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
title_short Strategies of Refugee Children in Response to Ethnic Categorization and Social Exclusion in Konya
title_sort strategies of refugee children in response to ethnic categorization and social exclusion in konya
topic refugee children
social exclusion
ethnic identity
coping strategy
ethnography
turkey
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/85A25A951C584083AAB7278C0BCF58DB
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AT fuatgullupınar strategiesofrefugeechildreninresponsetoethniccategorizationandsocialexclusioninkonya