Author/Authors :
SERT, Deniz Özyeğin University, Turkey , YILDIZ, Uğur Carleton University, Canada
Abstract :
In accordance with Article 17 of the Law 5683 on Residence and Travel of Foreigners, asylum seekers in Turkey are settled in assigned satellite cities in remote areas of Anatolia rather than staying in metropolitan areas such as Istanbul or Ankara. This is an unusual and unique regulation that is restricting the right of asylum seekers’ freedom of movement. In this context, utilizing Giorgio Agamben’s concept of the homo sacer, the article begins with a theoretical discussion of the extent to which asylum seekers and refugees settling in satellite cities are exposed to ‘bare life’ conditions. Based on an empirical research in Istanbul, Yalova and Isparta, the article examines the experiences of asylum seekers according to three dimensions, which are rather intertwined: The macro level, which is state-related, looks at the characteristics of asylum procedures and regulations in Turkey that put asylum seekers and refugees into bare and naked life conditions. The meso level utilizes the concept of ‘the right to the city’ developed by Henri Lefebvre. At this level, the role of migrants’ interactions within city life is analyzed. The micro level presents the perspectives of the migrants through a focus on Michel de Certeau’s conceptualization of ‘tactics’ as the ‘art of the weak.’ At this level, the article examines the direct and indirect impact of regulations and procedures in Turkey on the daily lives of asylum seekers and refugees, as well as their counter-strategies to overcome their bare life conditions.
