Migration experiences and intersectionality: A qualitative research on 1989 Bulgaria immigrants living in Bursa

The phenomenon of migration has an important place in the past century as it has been for centuries. In the transfer of events that have important effects on the shaping of history, such as migration, narratives have an important place as much as written sources such as documents and agreements. The narratives about the events are first occur through intergenerational transmission in the form of family memory. Gender has an important place in the formation of these family memories. In this study, the experiences of individuals who have family memories of the 1989 Bulgaria Migration, one of the important migration events of the 20th century, were tried to be understood by considering the age and gender intersections. In this context, basic qualitative research design and semi-structured interview technique were used in the study, and family members who immigrated to Bursa with the 1989 migration were selected. The sample of the study consisted of individuals who did not experience migration or who were too young to remember the migration process. The questions were prepared in an expert panel with faculty members with qualitative research experience. These collected data were analyzed and interpreted using the content analysis technique. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that there is indirect transmission rather than a direct transmission within the family. In addition, the fact that women in the family are influential in taking the migration decision and conveying the migration narratives shows the importance of 1989 Migration in terms of feminization of migration.