Examining the minority experiences of Western Thrace Turk and Istanbul Greek young adults

The Turkish minority of Western Thrace and the Greek minority of Istanbul are minorities whose special status and rights have been determined by the international treaty of Lausanne. Today, Western Thrace Turks constitute the second largest ethnic group in the part of Thrace that remains in Greece. The Greeks of Istanbul, on the other hand, although their numbers have dwindled considerably, have a special status due to their historical position in Istanbul and the fact that they are the main patron of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul. However, until now, no study has been conducted to examine the psychological conditions of individuals belonging to these two minorities with special rights and status and to put forward suggestions for improvement. Within the scope of this study, which uses a qualitative research design, it is aimed to examine in depth the experiences of young individuals belonging to the Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the Greek minority in Istanbul due to their minority status and the issues that they are more at risk than the general society. In the research, 18 participants between the ages of 20-25, belonging to the Turkish minority of Western Thrace and the Greek minority of Istanbul, were interviewed and the Semi-Structured Interview Form prepared by the researcher was used in the interviews. The results of the analysis showed that the themes of the participants from Western Thrace Turks and Istanbul Greeks did not differ from each other and the themes were largely similar. The findings of the study were grouped under three themes and sub-themes: (1) sources of social exclusion, (2) protective and risk factors, and (3) psychosocial outcomes. Following the presentation of the findings, the results are discussed in the light of the literature and recommendations are given.