Intercultural marriages and identity problem in İzmir

Our multicultural country indicate significant typical characteristics that occurred by the process of modernization and urbanization in various different ethnic groups and communions that gathered with each other. In this context, besides positive aspects of having an indulgent environment between cultures, negative situations such as marginalization and conflicts occured. This study includes the intergroup contacts in marriage stages of relationships from diffrent ethnic and religious cultures. Effects by differences between cultures, traditions and communions upon social life and family environments of individuals are investigated. Profound interviews carried out with 60 participants that have cross-cultural marriage or flirting processes residing in İzmir. As a result, a significant amount of diverse approaches made by Izmir resident couples detected upon cross-cultural marriages or flirting process. Problems such as: "the reactions of environments and families, the fulfilment of religious duties, carrying out the traditions, the religious education of children, the possibility for children to get in a different culture marriage in future, frequency of meeting families" are determined. . On the other hand, within the cross-cultural marriages besides the development of positive interactions, the decrease in prejudges between ethnic groups are confirmed. Along with the evolotion of the culturel differences of individuals within the family, a sociolocigal investigation was carried out on the establishing of a new identity or the building up of the dominant identity on other family members. It is observed that prejudices decrease and positive contacts emerge in individuals who have interculturel marriages thanks to intergroup contacts.