Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIASPORALANDS (Continuity and Change in Turkey’s Diasporic Landscapes: New Waves, Actors and Institutions (Case Studies: United Kingdom and Germany))
Período documentado: 2021-02-01 hasta 2023-01-31
DIASPORALANDS investigates the continuities and changes in Turkey’s diasporic landscapes during the last decade, which coincides with the democratic decline and regime change in Turkey. By using Turkey’s diaspora communities in the United Kingdom and in Germany as case studies, it investigates how the authoritarian drift in the homeland affects diaspora spaces and how host countries respond to authoritarian states’ engagement with their diasporas in their territory. It proposes a novel methodology which combines bottom-up voices with top-down narratives in order to present a comprehensive picture of the triadic relationship between Turkey, its diasporas and the host countries. It not only focuses on elite-level political processes but also investigate the impact of domestic transformations and their transnational impact on everyday lives of diasporans in Europe and therefore reveals visible and invisible impacts on diasporic landscapes will come to the fore. Turkey’s authoritarian turn, which approximately started after the Gezi Protests in 2013 and accelerated after the attempted coup in 2016, created a new-wave of migration from Turkey, mostly towards Europe, as a result of undemocratic practices, economic uncertainties and societal polarization. This new-wave is the most significant one since the 1990s, where Kurdish asylum seekers flooded Europe as a result of the Turkish-PKK conflict. Turkey’s diaspora communities abroad were already heterogeneous along ethnic/religious/ideological lines, consisting of Turks, Kurds, Alevites, Leftists, and Nationalists, among others. This new-wave of migration is changing the current profile of Turkey’s diaspora in European countries and bringing new dynamics to the transnational space. New flows bring new contestations with them, and Turkey’s domestic politics has spilled-over into Europe via multifaceted actions and actors, including the involvement of home and host states. This project aims at filling this research gap by using Turkey’s diasporas in Germany and in the UK as case studies. DIASPORALANDS goes beyond the state of the art and be pioneering in its approach by scrutinizing the impacts of Turkey’s illiberal transformation at elite and societal levels in the host countries via using mixed methods.
DIASPORALANDS aims to understand how diasporas take shape and form in the transnational space that is created between authoritarian home states and liberal host states. The project proposes the following objectives : O1: acquire new knowledge on diaspora-homeland-hostland relations, O2: analyse the impacts of transnational authoritarianism on this triadic relationship, O3: contribute to discussions on transnational repression mechanisms on diasporan’s everyday lives, O4:draw conclusions from the two case studies to help us better understand other cases from MENA, Central Asia and Africa, including cases such as Egypt, Morocco, Azerbaijan, and Rwanda, among others, O5:Disseminate project findings to academic and non-academic audiences, O6: Invest in career development of the researcher to enhance his credentials as a scholar.
DIASPORALANDS aims to understand how diasporas take shape and form in the transnational space that is created between authoritarian home states and liberal host states. The project proposes the following objectives : O1: acquire new knowledge on diaspora-homeland-hostland relations, O2: analyse the impacts of transnational authoritarianism on this triadic relationship, O3: contribute to discussions on transnational repression mechanisms on diasporan’s everyday lives, O4:draw conclusions from the two case studies to help us better understand other cases from MENA, Central Asia and Africa, including cases such as Egypt, Morocco, Azerbaijan, and Rwanda, among others, O5:Disseminate project findings to academic and non-academic audiences, O6: Invest in career development of the researcher to enhance his credentials as a scholar.
The MSCA Fellow designed the fellowship in five work packages to fully realise the project deliverables and milestones alongside a feasible career development plan over the fellowship period. The work packages include a) integration and project management, b) training and career development activities, c) survey and interview development and data collection, d) dissemination to academics, and e) outreach and communication with wider audiences.
Within the supportive environment at the host institution, the MSCA Fellow was able to implement a two-way transfer of knowledge. In line with the fellowship’s main goal of personal development, the MSCA Fellow attended 24 training programmes and 39 seminars and networking events. The training and knowledge acquired through the MSCA fellowship opened up new opportunities, networks and roles for the Fellow. Accordingly, the Fellow activated new academic networks that will yield connections to new publications/collaborations, assumed roles as contributor and advisory board member on various research projects, gained teaching experience in the UK and acted as mentor for both early-career researchers and potential MSCA fellows.
It is important to highlight that the data sets collected for DIASPORALAND will undoubtedly assist the researcher in developing new publications in the coming years in addition to the work already produced and published during the fellowship period.
Within the supportive environment at the host institution, the MSCA Fellow was able to implement a two-way transfer of knowledge. In line with the fellowship’s main goal of personal development, the MSCA Fellow attended 24 training programmes and 39 seminars and networking events. The training and knowledge acquired through the MSCA fellowship opened up new opportunities, networks and roles for the Fellow. Accordingly, the Fellow activated new academic networks that will yield connections to new publications/collaborations, assumed roles as contributor and advisory board member on various research projects, gained teaching experience in the UK and acted as mentor for both early-career researchers and potential MSCA fellows.
It is important to highlight that the data sets collected for DIASPORALAND will undoubtedly assist the researcher in developing new publications in the coming years in addition to the work already produced and published during the fellowship period.
The impacts from the MSCA fellowship were improved upon during the fellowship period and exceeded expectations. The potential impacts can be evaluated under two inter-related aspects: a) the expansion of the research focus and dissemination of the results and b) progress in the personal and professional development of the researcher.
DIASPORALANDS provides important inputs for critical diaspora studies with its emphasis on Turkey in a specific case study. The focus of the project has also broadened its scope into new topics, including diaspora conflicts, paving the way for new connections and opportunities for collaboration. Accordingly, the Fellow has broadened his network in the UK, where he is currently working on a new grant application with a new hosting institution. Regarding dissemination activities, the researcher has exceeded his initial goals, generating more local and international outputs based on the research findings and the researcher’s own expertise in collaboration with several institutions. The distribution networks of these institutions helped the Fellow reach a wider audience in various countries and spark debate about the topic.
The knowledge the researcher acquired during the grant period has yielded a host of new opportunities. The MSCA Fellow was invited to participate in four research projects, either as a contributor or advisory board member. He will contribute to three research projects between 2020 and 2023 through the promotion of the existing and forthcoming outputs of DIASPORALAND by writing new policy papers and co-authoring new journal articles on topics related to his research.
DIASPORALANDS provides important inputs for critical diaspora studies with its emphasis on Turkey in a specific case study. The focus of the project has also broadened its scope into new topics, including diaspora conflicts, paving the way for new connections and opportunities for collaboration. Accordingly, the Fellow has broadened his network in the UK, where he is currently working on a new grant application with a new hosting institution. Regarding dissemination activities, the researcher has exceeded his initial goals, generating more local and international outputs based on the research findings and the researcher’s own expertise in collaboration with several institutions. The distribution networks of these institutions helped the Fellow reach a wider audience in various countries and spark debate about the topic.
The knowledge the researcher acquired during the grant period has yielded a host of new opportunities. The MSCA Fellow was invited to participate in four research projects, either as a contributor or advisory board member. He will contribute to three research projects between 2020 and 2023 through the promotion of the existing and forthcoming outputs of DIASPORALAND by writing new policy papers and co-authoring new journal articles on topics related to his research.