Sol diasporik kimligi: İsviçre'deki Türk ve Kürt multecilerin deneyimleri

The population of leftist activists in Turkey in the second half of the twentieth century has long been an under-researched community. Many members of this diverse group of people fled the country after periods of post-military coup clampdowns, with a large percentage settling as refugees in various European countries. Within this community not only is there ideological variance under the broad heading of ?leftism? but also significant ethnic and socio-economic differences. This research attempts to understand how leftist ideology has played a role in the formation of collective identity, focusing in particular on the comparison of Turkish and Kurdish members of the refugee community in Switzerland. By utilizing the findings of in-depth interviews I conducted, this thesis addresses the following research question: What forms of collective identity emerge from the Turkish and Kurdish refugee experience in Switzerland and in what ways can leftist ideology be viewed as the basis for a diasporic identity? I have chosen to examine two research sites of the refugee community: first, the legal process and second, changing forms of political activism. Using the findings from these sites, I argue that a specifically leftist collective identity has shaped the refugee experience and that political ideology has played a key role in the formation of diasporic identity over more commonly examined sources such as national, religious, or ethnic background.