Biopolitical Borders and the Political Economy of Migration Flows to and From Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines the biopolitical borders of Türkiye. On the one hand, Türkiye deserves attention as a destination country that received millions of Syrian asylum seekers after the outbreak of the war in Syria and hundreds of thousands of migrants from other surrounding countries since the early 2010s. Yet, the country can also be seen as an origin and a transit country since a significant number of citizens and foreigners have been emigrating to Western countries from Türkiye. Recently, the number of educated and highly skilled people from Türkiye migrating to other countries has escalated. Given its unique position as a receiving, transit and origin country, Türkiye merits special investigation into the consequences of migration and border policies on domestic biopolitics. This study differs from existing literature in that it focuses on the biopolitical implications of migration from and to Türkiye. The study shows that even though the biopolitical borders of the country seem inadequate to protect domestic biopolitics, they are still discernible for migrants. Although a large number of Syrians, Afghans and other foreign nationals have crossed the national borders of Türkiye, they still face biopolitical borders. Türkiye's biopolitical borders not only function to establish a hierarchy that subordinates migrants to citizens but also create hierarchies among different migrant groups.