A working paper by Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kaya, currently on a sabbatical leave at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence as a Jean Monnet Fellow of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.
This paper derives from the findings of a recent qualitative and quantitative study conducted by the Support to Life Association among Syrian refugees in Istanbul to make their vulnerability assessment with a particular focus on their strong attachment to this city. The paper aims to answer; to what extent Istanbul provides Syrian refugees with a space of cultural intimacy, where they feel safe and secure despite the difficulties of everyday life. The main assumption of the paper is that historical, cultural and religious forms of affinity are likely to particularly attach the Sunni-Muslim-Arab-Syrians originating from Aleppo province to Istanbul. This paper is expected to contribute to the discipline of Refugee Studies by shedding light on the historical elements and the agency that are often neglected in such analysis.
Please find attached the paper published by the Centre within the framework of its Global Governance Programme focusing on the Syrian Refugees in Istanbul.
