The place of foreigners in the Turkish local government organization since the Tanzimat period: The case of the Alanya Municipality Foreigners Assembly

The development of relations between micro-interaction areas at the local level and macro-interaction areas at the international level in Turkey has led to increased diversity in social dynamics. Thus, the presence of "resident foreigners" in the areas where international relations at the local level have been strengthened has started to make itself felt within the dynamism of the society. The established foreign sections, which have been partially accepted in the society and have shaped new areas of dynamism, have made an effort to show their presence in the managerial field over time. This has increased the debate and work on the participation of resident foreigners in local governments in the world and in Turkey. Within the scope of the study, the effects and position of resident foreigners in the Turkish local government organization were discussed starting from the Tanzimat period. Thus, the historical background and current gains of the participation of resident foreigners in government structures at the local level have been transferred from Tanzimat to the present day. The position of resident foreigners within today's local government organization has been exemplified and reflected in the study by the Alanya Municipality Foreigners Assembly, which is a well-established structure in Turkey. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the effects of resident foreigners on Turkish local government organization and thus determine the place of resident foreigners in Turkish local government organization. In addition, it is aimed to determine the outputs that will provide insight into local government organizations that can be created. The conceptual framework and historical theoretical part of the study were formed by the method of literature review in order to achieve the objectives stated in the scope of the study. The final part of the study was supported by the data obtained from the literature, and interviews were conducted with the managers of Alanya Municipality Council of foreigners and the local government levels in Alanya and were prepared with the method of field research. The study was completed by evaluating the results obtained by literature survey and field research. Keywords: Turkish Local Government Organization, Local Participation Mechanisms, Alanya Municipality Foreigners Assembly, Resident Foreigner