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...
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2020-03-01
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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 |
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