Migration and integration through the habitus of Syrian women: On the example of Gaziantep

This thesis is a disquisition about the social interaction, habitus and adaptation of immigrant women and indigenous women from one of the cities that received intense immigration after the Syrian War. Hosting to Syrian immigrants as much as a quarter of its own population, Gaziantep has serious and significant cultural encounters and conflicts. In the thesis, the perception of the cultural and social effects of migration in terms of local and immigrant women was researched and the data available were analyzed and interpreted. In this context, firstly it has been tried to learn about the perspective of indigenous women on immigrant culture and social practices, harmony and interaction. At the same time, interviews have been conducted with immigrant women and their evaluations about domestic women and their habitus, interpretation of their cultural and social practices, and the distance covered in harmony and interaction were tried to be determined. In the city, hosting a substantial population of immigrants compared to its population, cultural differences and closeness are desired to be read through women. It is often observed that mass immigration, receiving a large number of immigrants, high proportion of young women in the immigrant population, and differences in perception of family and gender roles lead to a reaction that is not hidden by both sides. Although these reactions do not cover the whole community, it is certain that they affect general perception and thought. Increasing number of unofficial marriages in Gaziantep for reasons such as legal and widespread polygamy in Syrian society, helplessness of migrant women and economic problems cause implicit or explicit anger and unwillingness among women in both segments. The fact that the possibility of ending the war in the near future does not appear, and the fact that the majority of immigrants will continue to live here has increased this tension in the city, but has revealed the importance of cohesion and integration. With this thesis, it has been tried to examine the gender roles, socio-cultural habits, tradition and modernism issues from the local and immigrant women in Gaziantep.