The establishment of the Ukrainian diaspora in Turkey through migrant associations: ‘We feel as part of the diaspora from now on.’

From the “Republic of Cousins” to foreign spouses: Transnational marriages in Türkiye

“…It is seen that these connections are mostly shaped by informal initiatives, are maintained in groups on social media over time (Chan, 2017;Deniz & Özgür, 2022a;Taganova, 2020) and are eventually institutionalized as foreigners are allowed to establish associations in Türkiye. Dozens of migrant associations, which are considered non-governmental actors and whose boards are composed of marriage migrants, work as an effective point of contact for many issues, especially the psychological and legal needs of migrants (Deniz & Özgür, 2021(Deniz & Özgür, , 2022a(Deniz & Özgür, , 2022bTaganova, 2020). Therefore, a part of the "integration burden" of the state is transferred to non-governmental organizations in this system.…”

“…On the contrary, they create a "refined" relationship area to the extent permitted by the migrant presence. 2 These relationships, which involve being physically connected both on social media and through associations, range from ordering products to the homeland to organizing joint cultural festivals (Chan, 2017;Deniz & Özgür, 2021Deniz & Özgür, , 2022aDeniz & Özgür, , 2022b. The purpose of this attachment is the desire of marriage migrants, who are seen as the "foreigner closest to the host", to maintain their own cultural practices within the dominant cultural structure of the spouse at home and of the society in the country where they live, to introduce them to the host society, and to transfer them to children born from mixed marriages (Deniz, 2020b).…”

“…Among the countries of origin of foreign brides, the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) also stand out (Aslan, 2016; Deniz and Özgür, 2021, 2022b; Doğan, 2022; Filiyeva, 2018; Nakipbayeva, 2020; Özgür et al., 2014). Some of the Turkish men who went to the former USSR countries‐especially to work in the construction sector‐ took the first step of this marriage composition by marrying women from this region (İçduygu & Karaçay, 2012).…”

“…This has resulted in some sources being cited repeatedly in different parts of the paper.2 In fact, since this area is sensitive to interstate relations, sometimes the level of relations narrows down only to members of the same ethnic group from the same country. For example, the Russia-Ukraine War was also reflected in the social relations of marriage migrants from these countries and caused it the establishment of new associations by marriage migrants who do not want to do activities together and are concerned about developing their national identity(Deniz & Özgür, 2022b).3 Religious education is very important in these fields because compulsory religious education in Türkiye is a problem for foreign mothers who want their children to build their religious identity in the future. Some women, who cannot prevent their children from getting this education, have religious education classes opened for children in churches in their cities (seen in Istanbul and Antalya).…”

“…2 2 In fact, since this area is sensitive to interstate relations, sometimes the level of relations narrows down only to members of the same ethnic group from the same country. For example, the Russia‐Ukraine War was also reflected in the social relations of marriage migrants from these countries and caused it the establishment of new associations by marriage migrants who do not want to do activities together and are concerned about developing their national identity (Deniz & Özgür, 2022b). …”