The hemşehrilik and the village: the stakes of an association of former villagers in Ankara

Abstract

This article analyses the reasons behind the successes and failures of collective actions initiated by an association of former villagers. Members of this association did not adhere to all these collective actions, as these must be acceptable in semiotic terms, and must also conform to the hemşehrilik egalitarian ideal. One of the main obstacles to associative mobilisation is that the village itself is a conflictual and competitive place. This contrast between village and association shows that this is more an association of hemşehri than a village association. This difference invites us to reconsider the relationship which former villagers can (or cannot) have with their village, and to question the signification of the term hemşehri.

Transnational Environmentalism at Europe's Boundaries

“…These changes limited opportunities for trade unions and political parties, but gave hometown organizations legal status. These hemşire organizations are part of a broad 'patrimonialization' trend in Turkish society, in which urbanized Turks have sought to strengthen ties to their 'home' regions and villages, even decades after migration (Fliche, 2005). Many Tunceli and Dersim hemşire organizations, located in Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa, and in Cologne and other European cities, have opposed the state's dam project, and promoted ecotourism and other forms of economic development as alternatives (see Le Ray, 2005).…”