The impact of Syrians under temporary protection on the national citizenship regime in Turkey

The impact of mass influxes on national citizenship regimes is emerging as a significant question today when the number of international immigrants, refugees and displaced persons reach millions. After the breaking out of the civil war in Syria in 2011, Republic of Turkey opened its borders to millions of Syrians and has been hosting them for eight years. This is why Turkey comes out as a significant case worth to search in order to figure out the impact of mass influxes on national citizenship regimes. This study aims at researching the impact of Syrians under temporary protection on the national citizenship regime in Turkey. To this end, the study focuses on the parliamentary parties' discourses on Syrians during the last eight years and analyzes them in a comparative way. The study is a qualitative research based on a case study. The data is collected using document analysis and interviewing technics. Considering the impact of Syrians under temporary protection on the national citizenship regime in Turkey, the main claim of the study is that both the discourse perpetuating the national citizenship regime and the one challenging it are mutually gaining strength. The first chapter of this study gives coverage to literature on citizenship, nation state –citizenship and immigration and citizenship. The second chapter is on the features of the national citizenship regime in Turkey. The third chapter encompasses the general information about Syrians in Turkey. The fourth chapter of this study is on the discourses of the parliamentary parties' on Syrians and the comparative analysis of these discourses in respect of national citizenship regime. Keywords National Citizenship Regime, Parliamentary Parties, Syrians, Temporary Protection, Mass Influx, International Migration