Op-Eds/Popular Press by Elif Sarı
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Papers by Elif Sarı
Queer and Trans Migrations, 2020
From the perspective of its founding executive director, this reflection provides an account of t... more From the perspective of its founding executive director, this reflection provides an account of the formation and work of the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP), which bridges the immigration justice and prison abolition movements. Centering those most impacted by institutional violence including trans and queer migrants, QDEP is an intersectional project that resists state violence and works to create conditions for thriving.
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Neoliberalism was introduced to Turkey alongside the 1980 military coup. But it is often discusse... more Neoliberalism was introduced to Turkey alongside the 1980 military coup. But it is often discussed with reference to the 2000s, especially as a project of the AKP government. There are three reasons for it. First, neoliberalism has been transnationally consolidated as a hegemonic mode of capitalism over the last 10 to 15 years. Second, when the 1980 military coup happened under the leadership of General Kenan Evren, the military framed the intervention as a requirement for bringing about stability and security. In the name of stability, the military also crippled the trade unions, favoring right-wing nationalist ones over the unions on the left, and brought the 10% parliamentary threshold to the electoral system. Third, With the advent of the AKP governments, we see the victory, based on the 10% parliamentary threshold, of a strong majority for four consecutive general elections, and we see that such “stability” has brought with it tremendous power that has enabled the implementatio...
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Although Turkey is party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, it ext... more Although Turkey is party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, it extends its protection only to refugees with ›European countries of origin.‹ Under this regulation, Turkey grants only ›temporary asylum‹ to non-European refugees until the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resettles them to a third country. In this fragmented configuration, refugees in Turkey occupy ambivalent spaces in-between national and international bodies of law, while navigating both the multiplicity of asylum authorities and the sophisticated techniques meant to evaluate their asylum claims. In line with Turkey’s European Union accession, the Turkish government has recently attempted to restructure the country’s migration/asylum regime, aiming to provide better protection to refugees in accordance with international human rights standards. This article critically examines the recent changes towards a) standardizing and systematizing the legal and administrative ...
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Journal of Lesbian Studies, 2019
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Routledge eBooks, Feb 6, 2023
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Turkey is a “transit” country, where refugees spend many years waiting before they have a chance ... more Turkey is a “transit” country, where refugees spend many years waiting before they have a chance to be resettled to a third country. During this liminal period of waiting, refugees have to pursue and legitimize their asylum claims with various state and parastatal asylum infrastructures, such as the Turkish asylum authority, the UNHCR, third countries’ embassies, and national, international, and diasporic NGOs and aid providers. This article examines how Iranian lesbian refugees navigate these legal, governmental, and humanitarian bodies that make disparate demands to evaluate the “authenticity” of their identities and the “legitimacy” of their claims. I argue that, during the period of waiting in Turkey, lesbian refugees learn to master specific forms of telling and performance demanded by states, NGOs, and communities in order to carve space for themselves in a system that systematically discredits their sexualities. By continually tailoring their narratives and performances to conform to certain “lesbian types” prioritized by these institutions, organizations, and communities, refugees not only make themselves “authentic,” “deserving,” and “legitimate” subjects within established tropes, but also transform how they imagine and embody their own and others’ sexualities and genders.
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Although Turkey is party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, it ext... more Although Turkey is party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, it extends its protection only to refugees with ›European countries of origin.‹ Under this regulation, Turkey grants only ›temporary asylum‹ to non-European refugees until the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resettles them to a third country. In this fragmented configuration, refugees in Turkey occupy ambivalent spaces in-between national and international bodies of law, while navigating both the multiplicity of asylum authorities and the sophisticated techniques meant to evaluate their asylum claims. In line with Turkey's European Union accession, the Turkish government has recently attempted to restructure the country's migration/asylum regime, aiming to provide better protection to refugees in accordance with international human rights standards. This article critically examines the recent changes towards a) standardizing and systematizing the legal and administrative asylum procedures, and b) civilianizing the migration/asylum management that used to be coordinated largely by the police. We argue that, on the one hand, Turkey's asylum regime continues to give rise to uncertainty, unpredictability, and improvisation and, on the other hand, it presents a striking continuity with the previous regime in that it prioritizes securitizing migration/asylum management over ensuring the rights and protections of refugees. Vol. 3, Issue 2/2017 | www.movements-journal.org
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Interviews (of Others) by Elif Sarı
Neoliberalism was introduced to Turkey alongside the 1980 military
coup. This interview discusses... more Neoliberalism was introduced to Turkey alongside the 1980 military
coup. This interview discusses the contemporary implications of neoliberalism in the light of the 1980 military coup, through the context of branding in Turkey.
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Op-Eds/Popular Press by Elif Sarı
Papers by Elif Sarı
Interviews (of Others) by Elif Sarı
coup. This interview discusses the contemporary implications of neoliberalism in the light of the 1980 military coup, through the context of branding in Turkey.
coup. This interview discusses the contemporary implications of neoliberalism in the light of the 1980 military coup, through the context of branding in Turkey.