Between Hospitality and Hostility: Public Attitudes and State Policies Toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Secen, Sefa; Gürbüz, Mustafa E.

doi:10.3233/nhsdp200084

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…M. Erdoğan, 2014). Although longitudinal empirical studies that investigate Turkish citizens’ attitudes toward Syrians over time do not exist, it is known that initial attitudes that were characterized by humanitarian concerns developed into more hostile attitudes in the public space (Secen & Gurbuz, 2021). As such, previous research has shown an increase in the number of outgroup members in a country to be associated with increases in anti-immigrant attitudes (e.g., Schneider, 2008).…”

Section: Changes In Contact and Approach-avoidance Tendencies Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following two lines of previous research which showed a developmental pattern of increase in prejudice and decrease in positive contact experiences as children reach adolescence (e.g., Wölfer et al, 2017), and considering the increasingly hostile behaviors toward refugees in Turkey (e.g., Secen & Gurbuz, 2021), we tentatively expected positive contact and approach tendencies to decrease, while we anticipated negative contact and avoidance tendencies to increase over time (H1: “increasing outgroup negativity” ).…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From a more macro-level perspective, it is possible to expect a general increase in negative attitudes toward Syrian refugees at the country-level, with the intake of large number of refugees which has fueled negative public opinions ( M. M. Erdoğan, 2014 ). Although longitudinal empirical studies that investigate Turkish citizens’ attitudes toward Syrians over time do not exist, it is known that initial attitudes that were characterized by humanitarian concerns developed into more hostile attitudes in the public space ( Secen & Gurbuz, 2021 ). As such, previous research has shown an increase in the number of outgroup members in a country to be associated with increases in anti-immigrant attitudes (e.g., Schneider, 2008 ).…”

Section: Changes In Contact and Approach-avoidance Tendencies Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dealing With Increasing Negativity Toward Refugees: A Latent Growth Curve Study of Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact and Approach-Avoidance Tendencies

Bağcı

Baysu

Tercan³

et al. 2022

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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Despite increasing contact opportunities, prejudice toward refugees persists, especially in mass immigration contexts. We investigated changes in and associations between Turkish early adolescents’ ( N = 687, Mage = 11.11 years) positive and negative contact with Syrian refugees and their outgroup approach-avoidance tendencies over 15 months (three waves). Univariate growth curve models demonstrated a rise in outgroup negativity indicated by increasing negative contact and avoidance tendencies, and decreasing approach tendencies, while positive contact only slightly increased over time (nonsignificantly). Combined latent growth curve models showed that increasing positive contact buffered against increasing outgroup negativity in behavioral tendencies by predicting a less steep decline in approach and a less steep increase in avoidance. Increasing negative contact was positively associated with increasing outgroup negativity so that it predicted a more steep increase in avoidance. Findings underline the importance of early contact interventions that target the fast deterioration of positive intergroup interactions in increasingly hostile intergroup contexts.

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Section: Changes In Contact and Approach-avoidance Tendencies Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changes In Contact and Approach-avoidance Tendencies Over Timementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Dealing With Increasing Negativity Toward Refugees: A Latent Growth Curve Study of Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact and Approach-Avoidance Tendencies

Bağcı

Baysu

Tercan³

et al. 2022

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Syrian refugees are largely perceived as an economic threat by city dwellers as they face increasing pressure to compete for a limited number of jobs and accept lower wages. In some urban enclaves, where internal Kurdish migrants compete for similar jobs, communal tensions have increased (Secen and Gurbuz 2021). Victory Party capitalized on the escalation of anti-migration sentiments among secular middle classes in the wake of a chronic economic decline.…”

Section: The Emergence Of Victory Partymentioning

confidence: 99%

Electoral Dynamics, Nationalist Ideology, and Party Positions on Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Secen¹,

Al²,

Arslan³

2023

Preprint

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Why do seemingly similar political parties adopt different positions on the same issue? We answer this question by studying different approaches of dominant nationalist parties to Syrian refugees in Turkey under the new presidential system. Drawing on an original Twitter dataset and party manifestos, we argue that new electoral dynamics and the rise of urban-liberal nationalism as an alternative to rural-conservative nationalism have contributed to the divergence in nationalist parties’ approaches to refugees in recent years. The findings of this paper are threefold. First, pre-electoral alliance loyalties constrain nationalist parties’ discourses about refugees. Second, when the electoral salience of refugee issues increases, the convergence between dominant pre-electoral alliances’ positions might motivate a strategic opening/niche in the political space. Third, urbanization leads to the rise of contradictory forms of nationalism in cities: civic-liberal and ethnic-nativist, affecting the discursive strategies of nationalist party elites toward immigrants and refugees.

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“…There has been a persistent rise in hostility towards Syrians, fueled by increasingly racist policies and discourse in both politics and the media. The dehumanization of refugees in general, along with intergroup and interpersonal conflicts between local community members and Syrians, has further exacerbated tensions (see Duman, 2022; ICG, 2018; Secen & Gurbuz, 2021). Despite this heightened enmity, research indicates that Syrians continue to remain in Turkey (see Erdoğan, 2020) for reasons mentioned earlier.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locals’ support for integration policies and asylum seekers’ rights: Exploring a normative model of support for Syrians in Turkey

Duman,

Coşkan

2023

Studies Ethnicity & National

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Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey have been trying to adapt to their new life circumstances despite unclear integration and resettlement policies and high levels of discrimination and exclusion. We argue that fostering integration and asylum seekers’ rights requires a bottom‐up normative approach that considers members of the receiving society as active agents of these processes. Accordingly, in this study, we investigated the role of normative social context as well as sociopsychological antecedents among citizens of Turkey in facilitating their support for governmental integration policies and Syrian asylum seekers’ rights. A survey study was conducted with 202 residents in three cities, namely Bursa, Mardin, and Hatay, representing different geographical, ethnic, and cultural components in Turkey (i.e., Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, and Kurdish‐Arab). We specifically examined how citizens’ life concerns, perceptions of pro‐diversity norms in their city, and generalized attitudes toward minorities relate to their support for integration policies and Syrians’ rights. Furthermore, we tested the mediating roles of valuing intergroup contact with Syrians as well as accepting their presence and opposing their assimilation. Serial mediation analyses indicated that generalized positive feelings toward other minority groups predict higher support for integration policies, Syrians’ rights, as well as higher expectations of support for Syrians from fellow citizens, first through valuing contact with Syrians and second, through higher acceptance of Syrians’ stay and lower expectations of assimilation. However, perceptions of pro‐diversity norms predicted lower support for integration policies, Syrians’ rights, as well as lower expectations of support for Syrians from fellow citizens, first through devaluing contact with Syrians and second, through lower acceptance of Syrians’ stay and higher expectations of assimilation. These findings suggest that attitudes toward existing minority groups can define the social context and sociopsychological antecedents that would foster Syrians’ adaptation to life by taking on board members of the receiving society. However, they also indicate caution regarding the taken‐for‐granted role of pro‐diversity beliefs among the residents, especially in societies with complex intergroup relations.

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Between Hospitality and Hostility: Public Attitudes and State Policies Toward Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Dealing With Increasing Negativity Toward Refugees: A Latent Growth Curve Study of Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact and Approach-Avoidance Tendencies

Dealing With Increasing Negativity Toward Refugees: A Latent Growth Curve Study of Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact and Approach-Avoidance Tendencies

Electoral Dynamics, Nationalist Ideology, and Party Positions on Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Locals’ support for integration policies and asylum seekers’ rights: Exploring a normative model of support for Syrians in Turkey

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