The entrepreneurial activities of balkan turks after remigration to turkey

Migration from the Balkans to Anatolia began during the late Ottoman Empire and continued intermittently until the late 20th century. These forced migration movements, which started as a result of political events, wars, and ethnic divisions at the end of the 19th century, persisted until the closing years of the 20th century. Following the loss of Ottoman territories in the Balkans, large-scale migration significantly influenced Turkey's cultural, economic, and demographic transformation. Migration movements, which left deep marks on nations, posed considerable challenges for both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. Balkan migrants, fleeing persecution and massacres, flocked to Anatolia in large numbers, creating substantial difficulties for states trying to meet their needs. The hardships they faced and the necessity of starting anew encouraged these migrants to actively participate in economic life and contribute to the Turkish economy. Utilizing the knowledge, skills, and experience they brought from their former homelands, these migrants excelled in various fields and played an important role in entrepreneurship in Turkey. This study aims to examine whether Balkan migrants, through their return migration movements from the Balkans to their ancestral homeland, successfully adapted to and contributed to Turkey's economic environment and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The research is structured into three main sections. The first section explores the concept of migration and the historical dimensions of Balkan migration. The second section delves into the concept of entrepreneurship, its evolution over time, and the transformation of Turkish entrepreneurship from the Ottoman era to the present day. In the final section, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 entrepreneurial Balkan migrants, and the data collected were analyzed using qualitative data analysis methods. The findings of the study indicate that Balkan migrants successfully integrated with Turkish society and contributed significantly to Turkey's economic environment and entrepreneurial ecosystem following their remigration.