The effects of tribal structure on rural development: The case of Viranşehir, Şanlıurfa province

This study aims to examine the effects of tribal structure on rural development in the Viranşehir district of Şanlıurfa province. The scope of the research consists of the attitudes of tribal members towards tribal structures and their effects on the rural development process. In this context, the study aims to reveal the role of tribal ties in elements such as social harmony, solidarity, leadership and participation in development projects. The research was conducted using quantitative methods, and data were collected through a survey technique. The sample consists of 195 participants who are members of a tribe and reside in the Viranşehir district of Şanlıurfa province. In analysing the data, simple statistics were used along with non-parametric methods like the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test to find differences between separate groups. The findings reveal that tribal ties create a strong sense of solidarity among individuals and reinforce social cohesion. Additionally, it was found that tribal leaders can play a role in the rural development process and that individuals perceive the tribal structure as both a traditional sense of belonging and a social security mechanism. In conclusion, it was concluded that the tribal structure is an important local actor in rural development and that development policies should be shaped by taking these traditional structures into account.