Sociocultural interactions of bulgaria-immigrants: İzmir sample (1950-1990)

İzmir is one of the three settlements most preferred by those who came to Turkey from Bulgaria with forced migration between 1950-1990. It is important to examine the people who migrated to İzmir from a cultural perspective in order to get to know the migrating culture better. This study deals with the integration processes of immigrants who settled in Izmir and the difficulties they encounter in this process, by addressing some elements of the culture, especially the food cultures of the immigrants and the languages they speak. In the study, whether immigrant groups are assimilated or integrated in the host culture is discussed with questions about various cultural factors. While the existing studies in the literature only focus on the forced migration of theTurks from Bulgaria to Turkey, this study also aims to examine the Pomaks and the Romanies who forced to migrate from Bulgaria to Turkey in a cultural sense. Another point that contributes to the literature by distinguishing this study from its counterparts is that the study deals with the Izmir sample and focuses on immigration from Bulgaria from a sociocultural perspective. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the study. The findings were analyzed using the "cultural analysis" model. The interview questions were determined after the literature review. As a result of interviews with immigrants, the cultural effects of forced migration on immigrant groups were tried to be determined. In this context, 20 questions about various cultural dimensions were directed to the interviewees. The topics of the questions asked were as follows; "the attitudes of the state and local people towards immigrants, beliefs, religious and national holidays, various celebrations, rituals, food culture, linguistic differences, differences in clothing, education, women's participation in education and labor force, kin marriage and early marriage".