The feeling of exclusion and/or inclusion in shared places: Syrian students' emotions and social imaginations in Istanbul

Abstract

This article examines the dynamic relationship between the creation of place and the formation of identity, specifically focusing on how Syrian young people are either included or excluded in Istanbul. This dynamic process enables the students to engage in placemaking. The majority of the literature primarily centres on the potential for inclusion or exclusion within the context of migration. Nevertheless, I maintain my view that the dynamics between insiders and outsiders are closely interconnected in discourses about space. In this regard, it is worth exploring how the concept of Thirdspace enables the coexistence of both inclusion and exclusion within the same spatial context. Based on ethnographic observations, virtual ethnographies, and semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 Syrian students, I employ the notions of “social imaginary” and “emotional space” to demonstrate the coexistence of contrasting elements inside a shared location. While I utilised a framework that integrated geographical and sociological perspectives for my study, the unique aspect of this research lies in its adoption of the socio-spatiality approach, setting it apart from prior studies. While this approach opens space to the possibility of the simultaneous exclusionary and inclusionary functions of the spaces, the translocational positionality of the migrant groups fosters these contradictory interactions in the shared spaces. Gender differences and ethnicity (being Syrian) produce exclusionary functions, whereas being a student and Muslim increases integration into Turkish society. In addition to interactions within local relationships and transnational connections through religious communities, NGOs, and friend groups, these students not only resolve the tension between the past and present but also open the door to integration and bridge the future in the face of inequalities. In particular, women students solve the tension between cultural codes and their student identity with the possibility of transnational networks.