Aidiyet ile ötekilik arasında: Vanlı kimliğinin göç ile yeniden inşası

This thesis examines how the Vanlı identity is shaped and constructed through various encounters, with a particular focus on the impact of migrations from Hakkari and Iran, and explores how these encounters continually reshape the collective image of belonging. This work aims to critically engage with the existing literature on identity and boundary-making in borderlands, as well as to analyze previous research on the region and Türkiye. Additionally, this work contributes to the existing literature by analyzing migration from one predominantly Kurdish city to another. The fieldwork conducted in Van, which consists of eight semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion, will be analyzed using the Post-Marxist Discourse Theory developed by Ernest Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. This thesis explores how Van is situated between modernity and conservatism, and investigates the transformation in the performance of Kurdish identity following the arrival of migrants from Hakkari and Iran, as well as the impact of these encounters on the construction of Vanlı identity. This study emphasizes that encounters with people from Hakkari particularly impact Kurdish identity of Van Kurds, while encounters with Iranians lead to a rearticulation of Vanlı identity through the lens of conservatism.