The politics of everyday life in Malatya: class, identity and space

Abstract

This thesis offers a space-centered analysis of Kurdish question by examining the social exclusion of Kurdish migrants in Malatya, concentrating on both the political economy and everyday life. The case of Malatya is a particular story in the sense that there is a transformation of social exclusion to an inclusion story and Kurdish identity is redefined in terms of class in the everyday life. Thus, this research basically explores how class, identity and spatial relations intertwined in the everyday life by focusing on the everyday relations between Kurdish migrants and local people in Malatya. This thesis suggests the concept of social exclusion in order to define the “new poverty” and specifically the poverty of Kurdish migrants in Turkey; however, invites the reader to rethink the concept of social exclusion by adopting a critical approach to the concept. It is argued that social exclusion is not only caused by the entire exclusion of the poor from the economy but their inclusion to the labor market as low-paid workers without insurance. Social exclusion is analyzed within the theoretical framework of everyday life. The case of Malatya offers a particular incorporation story of Kurdish migrants. This thesis argues that both the embourgeouisement story and non-ghettoized characteristics of the city have ensured the transformation of social exclusion to an inclusion story. However, this is also an outcome of everyday resistance of Kurdish migrants to the social exclusion process by forming solidarity among the members of family. Therefore, this thesis claims that in order to observe those various patterns of Kurdish question, a space-centered analysis is necessary.