A social psychological analysis of Turkish employees' perception of Syrian workers in Izmir

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1630617 (Table of Contents)

This study aims to make a contribution to the narrowly-studied dimension of the Syrian immigration in Turkey. It examines the perception of the natives towards Syrians from a social-psychological perspective. Inorder to analyze Turkish employee perception of Syrians, descriptive research methodology is applied. Data of the study are obtained by semi-structured, face to face, in-depth interviews with 20 Turkish employees currently working along with Syrians in their workplaces in Basmane, Izmir. Basmane, a region that has received Syrians at an unprecedented rate over the past five years, is the context of the study. Findings of the study suggest that, Turkish employees' perceptions about Syrians vary and depend mostly upon their in-group and out-group identifications; deep-rooted causes of anxiety, fear and threat; group boundaries (permeable or not); their assessments regarding the social, political and economic rights offered to Syrians by the Turkish state. Among these factors, degree of importance attributed to national identity of the respondents and their position in their workplaces are found to be heavily influential in the expression of negative attitudes towards Syrians. Perceptions of the Turks are found to be shaped independently by their age, gender, education level and the time spent in face to face contact with Syrians.