İstanbul'da yaşayan işçi sınıfı hanelerinin proleterleşme süreçleri ve yeterlililik düzeyinde ürettikleri geçim stratejileri

This study analyzes the proletarianization processes of low-income families who are migrated to İstanbul in different periods and depicts how it is possible for low-income households by only relying heavily on subsistence activities to prosper in İstanbul in the harsh conditions of neoliberalism. This thesis takes the household as a unit of analysis and draws out its conclusions by focusing on the life-stories of both female and male adult members of the households. The existing literature argues that the social transfers provided by the state and extended family members of the household, options for obtaining non-wage incomes and informal housing opportunities are the prominent social and economic mechanisms that ease the adaptation process of families, confers the chances of getting by in the city and also has a substantial impact on the proletarianization process of low-income households. The empirical findings of this thesis allows for testing the relevance of these assumptions for low-income families residing in İstanbul in the last decade. This thesis argues that the migration period has a minor impact in terms experiencing proletarianization. Supplemental non-wage income related activities and informal housing options has depleted in İstanbul for low-income families. The social transfers mostly provided by the state have a partial contribution in the household economy. The primary sources for low-income households to prosper in the city has become wage related activities, capacity to increase level of indebtedness and maintenance of the reproduction of the household unit which is done by female members of the households. Keywords: Household, Migration period, Proletarianization, Neoliberalism, Wage work, Indebtedness, The role of women