Social Cohesion and Conflict Areas of Syrian Asylum Seeker Students in Higher Education

Abstract

The number of Syrian students in higher education in Turkey is increasing every year. In the 2019-2020 academic year, this number has reached 37,236. During this period, Harran University ranks first among 209 universities with 2,677 Syrian students, with the highest number of Syrian students studying in the university. One of the most fundamental facts inherent in migration is the human encounter experienced by the migrants and host communities. Both communities are affected by this encounter in various ways. In this study, social inclusion problems faced by Syrian asylum seeker higher education students throughout their education and daily life have been highlighted, and an evaluation has been made on the social experiences and problems faced by Syrian students studying at Harran University. For this purpose, two focus group meetings were held, each with six participants. The data obtained from focus group interviews were analyzed within the framework of various basic problems such as acceptance, social interaction, uncertainty, foreignness, stigmatization, and marginalization. The main problem of this study is that Syrian students have a high desire to participate in society and live together, but they continue to experience problems such as marginalization, exclusion, and deprivation of psycho-social support in different ways.