Determination of Syrians re- making home interiors through visual research methods: The Sultanbeyli case

One of the most important problems of Syrians subjected to forced migration since 2011 is obtaining shelter. This study explores how displaced Syrians living in Sultanbeyli, a district in Istanbul, Turkey, are re-making their home interiors. Syrians in Sultanbeyli are transforming their residences, especially indoors, based on their physical and psychological needs and cultural habits. This paper begins with a brief introduction followed by background information about such related concepts as “house,” “home,” and “home-making,” and home re-making practices in the context of forced migration. The Sultanbeyli case is then explored. Sultan- beyli is chosen as a study area because it maintains a supportive living environ- ment for displaced Syrians. The case study was conducted with Syrian families of middle or lower income groups in their home environment. The method of the study was based on visual research methods, including the use of photographs, drawings, physical traces and annotated diagrams. Data were obtained regarding family structure and composition, lifestyle, activities, spatial use and organiza- tion, and furniture layout. The findings show that social, cultural, and behavioral codes have an important role in home re-making processes and practices. They also show that the supportive relationship between people and their living envi- ronment has an effect on developing a sense of belonging and place attachment. More specifically, they show that a supportive living environment also enhances cultural hybridization over time. Because of this, it is crucial to conduct new re- search studies with participant groups to follow the changes that take place over time

PDF

___

Al-Ali, N., & Koser, K. (2001). New approaches to migration: Transnational communities and the transformation of home. Routledge.
Altman, I. (1975). The environment and social behavior. Brooks/Cole Pub- lishing Company.
Altman, I., Rapoport, A., & Wohl- will, J.F. (1980). Human behavior and environment: Advances in theory and re- search; Volume 4: Environment and Cul- ture. Springer Science+Business Media.
Antonsich, M. (2010). Searching for belonging; An analytical frame- work. Geography Compass, 4(6), 644- 659. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749- 8198.2009.00317.x
Anton, C. E., & Lawrence, C. (2014). Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place attach- ment and community participation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 451–461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. jenvp.2014.10.007
Biner, Ö.& Soykan, C. (2016). Su- riyeli mültecilerin perspektifinden Tür- kiye’de yaşam (Life in the perspective of Syrian refugees in Turkey). Mültecilerle Dayanışma Derneği Yayınları (Publi- cation of Association of Solidarity with Refugees).
Boccagni, P., & Brighenti, A.M. (2015). Immigrants and home in the making: Thresholds of domesticity, commonality and publicness. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 32, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901- 015-9487-9
Boccagni, P. (2020). At home in the centre? Spatial appropriation and hori- zons of home making in reception fa- cilities for asylum seekers. HOMInG Working Paper no10_2020.
Boccagni, P., Murcia, L.E.P., & Bel- loni, M. (2020). Thinking home on the move: A conversation across disciplines. Emerland Publishing.
DGMM; a [Republic of Turkey Min- istery of Interior-Directorate General of Migration Management]. (2020). Temporary Protection Regulation. Re- trieved from https://www.goc.gov.tr/ gecici-koruma-kanunu-ve-yonetmeli- gi
DGMM; b [Republic of Turkey Min- istery of Interior-Directorate General of Migration Management]. (2020). Temporary Protection Statistics. Re- trieved from https://www.goc.gov.tr/ gecici-koruma5638
Dovey, K. (1985). Home and home- lessness, human behavior and envi- ronment: Advances in theory and re- search. In I. Altman & C. M. Werner (Eds.), Home Environments (pp.33-64).
Springer Science+Business Media. Erdoğan, M.M. (2017). Kopuştan uyuma kent mültecileri, Suriyeli mülte- ciler ve belediyelerin süreç yönetimi: İstanbul örneği. [Urban refugees from “detachment” to “harmonization”, Syr- ian refugees and process management of municipalities: The case of Istanbul]. Marmara Belediyeler Birliği Kültür Yayınları.
Erdoğan, M.M. (2018). Suriyeliler barometresi: Suriyelilerle uyum içinde yaşamın çerçevesi (SB-2017). [Syrians barometer: a framework for achieving social cohesion with Syrians in Turkey (SB-2017)]. İstanbul Bilgi University Publications.
Esentepe, B., & Günçe, K. (2019). The role of memory as a benefit of place attachment on refugees’ attachment to place: Case study on Turkish Cypri- ot refugees in refugee village, Nicosia, North Cyprus. LIVENARCH VI - 6th International Congress Livable Envi- ronments & Architecture - Replacing Architecture, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon.
Fadlalla, N. (2011). Conceptualiz- ing the meaning of home for refugees. International Journal of Urban & Extra Urban Studies, 1(3), 139-150.
Fox, L. (2002). The meaning of home: A chimerical concept or a le- gal challenge. Journal of Law and Society, 29 (4), 580-610. https://doi. org/10.1111/1467-6478.00234
Hayward, D.G. (1975). Home as an environmental and psychological con- cept. Landscape, 20, 2-9.
Jansen, S., & Löfving, S. (2009). Struggles for home: Violence, hope and the movement of people. Berghahn Books.
Kahraman, M.D. (2014). İnsan ih- tiyaçları ve mekansal elverişlilik ka- vramları perspektifinde yaşanılırlık olgusu ve mekansal kalite [Livability and spatial quality in terms of human needs and spatial affordances], Plan- lama, 24(2), 74-84. https://dx.doi. org/10.5505/planlama.2014.29591
Kılıçaslan, G. (2016). Forced migra- tion, citizenship, and space: The case of Syrian Kurdish refugees in İstanbul. New Perspectives on Turkey, 54, 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1017/npt.2016.8
Kreuzer, M., Mühlbacher, H., & Wallpach, S. (2017). Home in the re-making: Immigrants’ transcultural experiencing of home. Journal of Busi- ness Research, 91, 334-341. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.10.047
Lang, J. (1987). Creating architec- tural theory: The role of the behavioral sciences in environmental design. Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Lawrence, J.R. (1987). What makes a house a home. Environment and Behavior, 19, 154-168. https://doi. org/10.1177/0013916587192004
Low, S., & Altman, I. (1992). Place attachment. Plenum Press.
Pala, A. (2015). Yerinden edilme ve yeniden yurtlanma: zorunlu göç ve toplumsal cinsiyet bağlamında evin kaybı ve yenidnen kuruluşu. [Dis- placement and resettlement: loss and reconstruction of home in the con- text of forced migration and gender]. Journal of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Communication, Hacettepe University, 2(1), 81-99. https://doi.org/10.17572/ mj2015.1.8199
Rapoport, A. (1969). House form and culture. Pearson Publishing.
Rapoport, A. (2005). Culture, archi- tecture and design. Locke Publishing.
Rollero, C., & Piccoli, N. (2010). Place attachment, identification and environment perception: An empir- ical study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 198-205. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.12.003
Sanoff, H. (2016). Visual research methods in design. Routledge.
Sixsmith, J.A. (1986). The essential qualities of a home. Journal of Environ- mental Psychology,14, 31-46.https://doi. org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80196-3
Somerville, P. (1997). The social con- struction of home. Journal of Architec- tural and Planning Research, 14 (3), 226- 245. Retrieved from https://www.jstor. org/stable/43030210
SUKOM [Syrian Coordination Cen- ter]. (2020). Retrieved from https:// multeciler.org.tr/tag/sukom/
Taylor, H. (2015). Refugees and the meaning of home. Palgrave Macmillan.
Tuan, Y. (2011). Space and place. Uni- versity of Minnesota Press.
UN [United Nations]. (1948). Uni- versal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/ universal-declaration-human-rights/ UNHR [United Nations Human
Rights]. (1976). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/ EN/professionalinterest/pages/cescr. aspx
Zeisel, J. (2006). Inquiry by design: Environment/behavior/neuroscience in architecture, interiors, landscape and planning. Norton Publishing.