Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna

Migrants with precarious legal statuses experience significant structural exclusion from their host nations but may still feel partial belonging. This article explores two dimensions potentially relevant for this group’s sense of belonging: city-level opportunity structures and public political disc...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Susan Beth Rottmann, Ivan Josipovic, Ursula Reeger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2020-03-01
Series:Social Inclusion
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2392
id doaj-c20a01cec3b94b8ba68ac8851473acb4
record_format Article
spelling doaj-c20a01cec3b94b8ba68ac8851473acb42020-11-25T02:04:40ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032020-03-018124125110.17645/si.v8i1.23921369Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and ViennaSusan Beth Rottmann0Ivan Josipovic1Ursula Reeger2Faculty of Social Sciences, Özyeğin University, TurkeyInstitute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, AustriaInstitute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, AustriaMigrants with precarious legal statuses experience significant structural exclusion from their host nations but may still feel partial belonging. This article explores two dimensions potentially relevant for this group’s sense of belonging: city-level opportunity structures and public political discourses. Specifically, we examine perceptions of belonging among forced migrants with similarly precarious legal statuses located in Istanbul and Vienna. Drawing from semi-structured interviews, we argue that opportunity structures in the cities provide a minimal sense of social normalness within a period of life otherwise considered anomalous or exceptional. Any articulations of belonging in this context however remain inherently tied to the conditions of legal limbo at the national level. With regard to public political discourses, migrants display a strong awareness of the role of religion within national debates on culture and integration. In a context where religion is discussed as a mediator of belonging, we found explicit affirmations of such discourses, whereas in a context where religion is discussed as a marker of difference, we found implicit compliance, despite feelings of alienation. Overall, this article shows the importance of differentiating belonging, and of cross-regional comparisons for highlighting the diverse roles of cities and public political discourses in facilitating integration.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2392asylumbelongingcitycultureintegrationistanbullegal limbovienna
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Susan Beth Rottmann
Ivan Josipovic
Ursula Reeger
spellingShingle Susan Beth Rottmann
Ivan Josipovic
Ursula Reeger
Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
Social Inclusion
asylum
belonging
city
culture
integration
istanbul
legal limbo
vienna
author_facet Susan Beth Rottmann
Ivan Josipovic
Ursula Reeger
author_sort Susan Beth Rottmann
title Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
title_short Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
title_full Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
title_fullStr Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
title_full_unstemmed Beyond Legal Status: Exploring Dimensions of Belonging among Forced Migrants in Istanbul and Vienna
title_sort beyond legal status: exploring dimensions of belonging among forced migrants in istanbul and vienna
publisher Cogitatio
series Social Inclusion
issn 2183-2803
publishDate 2020-03-01
description Migrants with precarious legal statuses experience significant structural exclusion from their host nations but may still feel partial belonging. This article explores two dimensions potentially relevant for this group’s sense of belonging: city-level opportunity structures and public political discourses. Specifically, we examine perceptions of belonging among forced migrants with similarly precarious legal statuses located in Istanbul and Vienna. Drawing from semi-structured interviews, we argue that opportunity structures in the cities provide a minimal sense of social normalness within a period of life otherwise considered anomalous or exceptional. Any articulations of belonging in this context however remain inherently tied to the conditions of legal limbo at the national level. With regard to public political discourses, migrants display a strong awareness of the role of religion within national debates on culture and integration. In a context where religion is discussed as a mediator of belonging, we found explicit affirmations of such discourses, whereas in a context where religion is discussed as a marker of difference, we found implicit compliance, despite feelings of alienation. Overall, this article shows the importance of differentiating belonging, and of cross-regional comparisons for highlighting the diverse roles of cities and public political discourses in facilitating integration.
topic asylum
belonging
city
culture
integration
istanbul
legal limbo
vienna
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2392
work_keys_str_mv AT susanbethrottmann beyondlegalstatusexploringdimensionsofbelongingamongforcedmigrantsinistanbulandvienna
AT ivanjosipovic beyondlegalstatusexploringdimensionsofbelongingamongforcedmigrantsinistanbulandvienna
AT ursulareeger beyondlegalstatusexploringdimensionsofbelongingamongforcedmigrantsinistanbulandvienna
_version_ 1724941848123801600