Between Transience and Permanence: Forced Migration Experience of Hatay Residents after the 6 and 20 February 2023 Earthquakes
Between Transience and Permanence: Forced Migration Experience of Hatay Residents after the 6 and 20 February 2023 Earthquakes

Summary/Abstract: The 2023 earthquakes, referred as the disaster of the century, caused the deaths of thousands in Türkiye. Some of those who managed to survive the earthquake left their cities in the aftermath. My aim ın thıs artıcle is to make projections about whether people from Hatay who were forced to migrate suddenly after the earthquake are transient or permanent in the provinces where they currently reside. Moreover, I aim to identify whether the conditions could facilitate the return of the migrants back to their homelands. For this purpose, I conducted field research simultaneously in Eskişehir and Ankara between 23 June and 31 July. With regards to Hatay residents now dispersed across various provinces in Turkey, I conducted interviews via telephone. In Eskişehir and Ankara, I conducted participant observation and in-depth interviews. I interviewed a total of 20 people, 14 women and 6 men. I tried to learn about their experiences during and after the earthquake, their views on permanence and transience, and their expectations for the future by asking them semi-structured, open-ended questions. The findings reveal that almost all participants expressed a willingness to return if issues such as housing, unemployment, education, healthcare, employment, and transportation were resolved. The uncertain status of the displaced population-whether transient or permanent in their new locations-seems to depend largely on the progress of Hatay’s reconstruction process. It is anticipated that prolonged delays in this process will worsen desperation and may turn migration from transient to permanent. Investments made despite economic constraints during the settlement process in the place of migration will make return increasingly difficult over time. Uncertainty about the future leads to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness, and a sense of being caught in between, leaving individuals more vulnerable and fragile. It is anticipated that accelerating the city’s reconstruction process will significantly reduce the feeling of uncertainty and, by increasing the sense of hope for the future, will reverse migration.

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