DIASPORIC REPRESENTATIONS OF TURKMEN: MIGRATION, IDENTITY AND INTEGRATION IN KERKUK TURKMEN LIVING IN ISTANBUL

In this study, it is aimed to determine the immigration and integration experiences of Kirkuk Turkmen as a diasporic community in the metropolis of Istanbul. The study focused primarily on the areas of experience at the structural level throughout the modern Iraqi history of the Turkmen Group. The inter-community hegemonic competition, in which violence is at the center, caused the Turkmen group to resorted to the “migration” option during the period. In this context, the existence of the community in the metropolitan environment, using the “diaspora” literature, was tried to be conceptualized. In the applied research which develops based on quantitative method, survey technique is used to focus on the appearance of diasporic experience in the fields of “migration”, “culture” and “politics”. In this context, the impact of the traumatic heritage of the migration process on the motherland trends of the diaspora community has been determined. On the other hand, when it comes to experiences in the metropolitan area, the other pillar of the migration process, there has been considerable data showing integration. Among the dynamics that facilitate the integration process are the “indigenous society” and the partnerships between the Turkmens at the ethno-cultural and religious level. At the same time, the “social capital” and “solidarity networks” developed by the diaspora community within the city are other factors that facilitate integration. Finally, during the first phase of the community's cultural identity, the “Muslim” identity appears. However, when it comes to the “political tendencies” of the diaspora community and the “preferred model of society-state”, it is seen that the basic references shifted to nationalism