“Between the Earth & Sky” - The Ties That Matter: Queer Way of Surviving in the Transit Country. A Case Study of the Queer Refugees Residing in Turkey

Abstract: The aim of this study is investigate how the queer refugees experience networking in the country of transit and how these networks contribute to their well-being during their asylum experience in Turkey. Focusing on the experiences of queer refugees residing temporarily in a small provincial area of Turkey, I specifically explore which types of social relationships and connections they form and sustain with their countries of origin, within the country of transit and with the third countries and which types of benefits are offered to the queer refugees by various types of networks. The data collected through ten semi-structured interviews is analyzed by the theories of social capital and networks in dialogue with some theoretical ideas suggested by the scholars of transnationalism. This thesis has found evidence that queer refugees temporarily residing in Turkey have involved in a range of social, economic, cultural and political transnational engagements and connections at the intersection of the countries of origin, country of transit and third countries. The transnationalist networks of the queer refugees have helped them to negotiate difficult circumstances during their asylum experience in the transit country. Although the study of transnationalism has largely ignored the experiences of refugees, the relevance of transnationalism for refugees is clearly supported by the current findings. On the basis of the evidence, this thesis suggests that the concept of transnationalism should be extended to cover the experiences of refugees in general but queer refugees in particular.