İstanbul’daki Afrikalı Futbol Göçmenleri Üzerine Etnografik Bir İnceleme

Türkiye’deki Afrikalı göçmenler konusunda yapılan araştırmalar genellikle Batı Afrika’dan gelen futbolcuları inceleme konusu pek yapmamışlardır. Fubolcu olmak amacıyla yapılan göçlere genellikle başarısız olmuş göçler gözüyle bakılmakta ve göçmenler kurbanlaştırılmaktadır. Genel göç çalışmalarındaki eğilim de farklı göç yol ve yöntemlerini içindeki çeşitliliği görmeden standartlaştırma eğilimindedir. Bu çalışma kapsamında, Türkiye'deki etnografik araştırmalarıma dayanarak, futbolcu olma saikiyle göç eden Afrikalılara dair bu yaklaşımın değiştirilmesi gerektiğini öne sürmekteyim. Yaptığım görüşmeler sonucu edinilen hikaylerden anlaşılmakta ki göçmenlerin günlük hayatına dair pratiklerdeki farklılıklar, futbolcu olma saikiyle yapılan göçlerin tüm göç kategorileri içinde yeniden yorumlanması ihtiyacını doğurmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Afrika göçü, futbol, İstanbul, göç biyografileri, hırslı futbolcular

An ethnographic view on African football migrants in Istanbul

Research on African migration to Turkey has so far neglected further inquiry into the presence of footballers from West African countries in İstanbul. Present approaches to football migration tend to victimize ‘stranded’ migrants and in migration research in general, various migration pathways are put into fixed categorizations, losing sight of their diversity. Based on ethnographic research with a group of African football players, I argue that there is a need to shift the view on African migrations in the context of international football. The different migration biographies and everyday experiences of football players in İstanbul presented in this article show a nuanced picture of migration phenomena within global football. Acknowledging the football players as actors in their own right and looking at their practices and rhetoric with regard to their ambitions in football is a necessary step toward overcome too narrow categorizations and allows a better understanding of their migrations.

Keywords:

African migration, football, İstanbul, migration biographies, ambitious football players,

PDF

___

Alegi, Peter (2010), African soccerscapes: How a continent changed the world's game. (Athens: Ohio University Press)
Bale, John (2004), “Three Geographies of African Footballer Migration: Patterns, Problems and Postcoloniality”, Gary Armstrong ve Richard Giulianotti (eds.), Football in Africa: Conflict, Conciliation, and Community (New York: Palgrave Macmillan): 229-46.
Brettell, Caroline ve James F. Hollifield (2008), “Introduction”, Caroline Brettell and James F. Hollifield (eds.), Migration theory: Talking across disciplines, (New York: Routledge):1- 30.
Brewer, Kelly T. ve Deniz Yükseker (2009), “A Survey on African Migrants and Asylum Seekers in İstanbul”, Ahmet İçduygu ve Kemal Kirişci(eds.), Land of diverse
Migrations: Challenges of Emigration and Immigration in Turkey, (İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi University Press):637-723.
Brewer, Kelly T., ve Deniz Yükseker (2011), “Astray and stranded at the gates of the European Union: African transit migrants in İstanbul”, New Perspectives on Turkey, 44: 129–159.
Danis, Didem, Taraghi Cherie ve Jean-Francois Pérouse (2009), “"Integration in Limbo": Iraqi, Afghan, Maghrebi and Iranian Migrants in İstanbul”, Ahmet İçduygu and Kemal Kirişci (eds.), Land of diverse Migrations: Challenges of Emigration and Immigration in Turkey, (İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi University Press):443-636.
Darby, Paul (2010), “Out of Africa: The exodus of elite African football talent to Europe”, Joseph Maguire and Mark Falcous (eds.), Sport and migration: Borders, boundaries and crossings, (London: Routledge):245–258.
Darby, Paul, Gerard Akindes ve Matthew Kirwin (2007), “Football Academies and the Migration of African Football Labor to Europe”, Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 31 (2):143–161.
İçduygu, Ahmet and Kemal Kirişci (2009), Land of diverse Migrations: Challenges of Emigration and Immigration in Turkey (İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi University Press)
Pannenborg, Arnold (2010), “Big Men, Big Gains? The Involvement of African Club Officials in the Transfer of Players”, African Historical Review, 42 (1): 63–90.
Poli, Raffaele (2006), “Migrations and trade of African football players: historic, geographical and cultural aspects”, Afrika Spectrum, 41 (3):393–414.
Poli, Raffaele (2008), “Explaining the "muscle drain" of African football players: world-system theory and beyond”, Basler Afrika Bibliographien, BAB Working Paper (1)
Suter, Brigitte (2012), “Social Networks in Transit: Experiences of Nigerian Migrants in İstanbul”, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 10 (2):204–222.
Today’s Zaman (2012), “Interior Ministry relaxes residency, work permit rules for foreigners”, 01.06.2012, http://www.todayszaman.com/news-282253-interior-ministry-relaxesresidency-work-permit-rules-for-foreigners.html ( 15.06.2012).