A decade of migration in Turkey and the course of its politicisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.125Keywords:
politicisation, migration, Turkey, political discourse, election debates, migration policyAbstract
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 140, p
Quadrimestral (May-September 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.140.2.125
This paper studies the politicisation of migration by turning the spotlight on the EU’s most sensitive border area: Turkey. The country is a particular case in terms of the anti-immigration sentiment emanating from election debates and the political arena in general. The study examines the forms and patterns of the (de)politicisation of migration in Turkey by tracing the course of migration policy implementation over a decade (2014-2024). Employing a mixed qualitative approach, including textual analysis of public speeches by political actors, political documents and primary data (gathered through semi-structured interviews with lawmakers from the main opposition parties), the paper presents three key episodes that illustrate the complexity and multifaceted nature of the politicisation of migration in the country over this period.
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