(In)Securitization of Migrants in Turkey: The Case of Syrians in Gaziantep

Date

2025-8-29

Author

Vural, Ebru

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Since 2011, Turkey has been one of the leading refugee-hosting countries worldwide, accommodating millions of displaced Syrians through its reliance on the temporary protection regime, which has become a significant subject of academic debate. While much research has focused on legal frameworks, integration processes, and foreign policy aspects, little attention has been paid to how everyday migration governance practices shape the (in)security dynamics. Within this context, the aim of this study is to understand and interpret the everyday practices and mechanisms of migration governance as experienced by displaced Syrians in Gaziantep, and to uncover how these practices contribute to (in)securitization processes as conceptualized by the Paris School of security studies. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Gaziantep with 42 displaced Syrians and various stakeholders, the study investigates how ordinary procedures, such as ID checks, mobile migration vehicles, and profiling mechanisms, contribute to the normalization of surveillance and unease. The central argument is that Turkey’s migration governance does not reflect a coherent securitizing discourse, but rather a dispersed logic of governmentality, where ordinary administrative procedures normalize surveillance and produce a continuous sense of deportability for displaced Syrians. Many displaced people adopt self-regulatory behaviors and internalize surveillance logics, indicating that migration governance tools within borders, such as mobile migration points, function as “borders” within state’s borders. These mechanisms operate through ordinary routines, rather than exceptional politics, supporting the Paris School’s emphasis on “the governmentality of unease.” Therefore, this highlights the value of focusing on everyday lived experiences to monitor (in)security dynamics.

Subject Keywords

displaced Syrians, (in)securitization, mass migration, Paris School, Turkey’s immigration regime

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115611

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis