Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Shahid Beheshti University
2 Department of Political Science and International Relations, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The arrival of millions of Syrian EDPs in Turkey has produced far-reaching political and social consequences, making the issue one of the most significant challenges in Turkey’s post-2011 domestic and foreign policy landscape. From the onset of the crisis, Turkey adopted discursive and legal formulations that departed from the internationally recognized concept of refugee, instead framing Syrians as “guests” under Turkey’s “hospitality.” Although these terms evoke benevolent and moral obligations, they were embedded within a political framework characterized by conditionality, hierarchy, and state-determined limits. Building on Jacques Derrida’s critical distinction between unconditional and conditional hospitality, this article argues that Turkey’s refugee policy rests on practices of conditional acceptance shaped by political calculation, sovereignty, and shifting domestic concerns. The main question addressed in this study is: What key factors have driven changes in the official labeling of Syrian refugees in Turkey, and how have these shifts influenced the evolution of Turkey’s refugee policy? The hypothesis proposes that the most influential factors behind changes in labeling—and the corresponding transformation of policy—are political dynamics (notably nationalism and electoral pressures) and economic constraints (particularly the challenges of integration and strain on public resources).
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