Iranian Migrants’ Perceptions of Turkish and Iranian Culture: A Comparative Analysis with ZMET Technique

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of culture and communication in the social life of Iran and Turkey. In the study, the prominent aspects, which Iranian migrants experience the culture and communication in social life, were examined. Also, the most prominent issues in Turkish and Iranian culture for Iranian immigrants were tried to be determined. In this context, Iranian immigrants living in Turkey were reached by using snowball sampling, and Zaltman’s ZMET Technique is used in the study. According to this technique, in-depth interviews were made with 10 Iranian immigrants living in Turkey. The contents of the interviews were transferred to the virtual environment as a text and specific codes were determined via content analysis. As a result of this analysis, a consensus map was created. Consequently, it is seen that Iranian immigrants explain Iranian culture through the Nowruz festival, family, Iranian dishes and desserts, historical symbols, religious symbols, and they describe Turkish culture through Atatürk, Turkish flag, family, city, and social life. The participants mention that Iran is in a global war and therefore, they explain the country mostly in red color. The cultural codes and red, blue, green, and beige colors are emphasized for Turkey.

National Identity and Attachment Among Overseas Chinese Children: Diaspora Tourism Experiences

“…showed that these migrants associated Iranian culture with diverse elements such as the Nowruz festival, family, Iranian dishes and desserts, historical symbols, and religious symbols. By contrast, when discussing Turkish culture, the migrants emphasized features such as Atatürk, the Turkish flag, family, the city, and social life (Batu et al, 2023). To capture ethnic symbols embedded in place (i.e., in China), this study relied on ZMET and participant observations to gain relevant information from children.…”