Transition from nomadism to urban life: Example of Dudêran tribe of Siirt

This dissertation work is aimed to scrutinize the integration process of Koçers who moved into urban life from a nomadic life. Nomadism is a way of life whose basic economical activity is livestock and that is based on mobility, not belonging to a certain place. On the other hand, a tribe is a big social form of organization whose members are claimed to be relatives. Koçer-tribe is a community composed of relatives who adopt a nomadic lifestyle and whose livelihood come from livestock. This study that has been carried out on Dudêran tribe shows their transition process from a nomadic life to an urban life by defining their socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-politic attitudes. This study about the urbanization of Koçers consists of two parts: theory and application. In theory part; the concepts such as nomad, nomadic, the town, urbanization, to be urbanized, tribe, feeling of belonging, leadership and the units of a tribe are discussed in connection with the transition of a Koçer-tribe to urban life. In application part, a survey has been conducted on the members of Dudêran tribe. The answers of 200 questionnaires have been analyzed via SPSS 15.0 program and the outcomes have been visualized in tables. Furthermore, through interview and observation techniques significant data has been found about the transition of Koçers to urban life. Koçers have brought their nomadic lifestyle to the town when they have settled down. The differences between nomadic lifestyle and urban lifestyle have mentally effected Koçers. In this regard, neither they could live the life they were born in and experienced nor they could adopt the urban life truly. Key Words: Koçer, Tribe, Dudêran, Nomad(s), Urbanization.