Symposium on Migration Studies completed
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Organized jointly by Istanbul Commerce University and Neuchatel University in Switzerland, the symposium titled “Migration research: Its cuisine, transmission and effects”, jointly organized by Istanbul Commerce University and Neuchatel University in Switzerland, was held at Sütlüce campus with a wide participation.
In the opening speeches of Vice Rector Elçin Aykaç Alp and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Mustafa Said Yazıcıoğlu, the importance of research on migration and the sensitivity of Istanbul Commerce University on this issue were emphasized and the aim of the symposium to contribute to the discussions in this field was underlined.
As the organizers of this initiative, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Poyraz from TICARET UNIVERSITY and Dr. İbrahim Soysüren from Neuchatel University shared their approaches to the objectives of the symposium and the content of the study. In the speeches, it was underlined that the aim of the study, which consists of three sessions, will be to discuss the research process, the way of conveying the research and its effects in a connection, and that each session will look at the subject from different perspectives.
PRODUCTIVE SESSIONS
In the first session, Dr. İbrahim Soysüren, Lülüfer Körükmez, Director of the Migration Research Association, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Coşkun from METU highlighted the kitchen of migration research and discussed the position the researcher takes or should take throughout the initiation and progress of the research. In the session, the subtleties of fieldwork and ethical considerations during the interviews were emphasized, and the sensitivity of the subject and the difficulties in data collection were expressed. In particular, the importance of equal relationships with the interviewees was emphasized and the danger of hierarchical situations that may arise during the research was underlined. The objectivity of data collection and the flexible approach that the researcher should show in this regard were explained with examples.
The main issue of the second session moderated by Dr. Ahu Paköz Türkeli from Istanbul Ticaret University was how and in which ways a research is transferred to practice. In this session, Prof. Dr. Selmin Kaşka from Marmara University, Abdoul Hameth Ba and Dr. Mustafa Poyraz from Evry Val d’Essonne Saclay University in France, the tools used in the process of transferring the study and the problems that arise when using these tools were underlined and the difficulties that arise in communicating the quality of the research to different actors were discussed through a critical filter.
First of all, it was emphasized that the most fundamental issue that is often overlooked in the transfer of the results of research is the reluctance to create common spaces of discussion created by the researchers themselves. After underlining that the value of any research can only be understood by the social scientists who conduct research on the subject, it was pointed out that the most classic way of communicating research is through reports and book publications. The examples given from the fieldwork on trafficking in migrant women show not only how effective research can be in forming public opinion, but also the importance of the way the results of the research are reflected by the press.
Another issue discussed in this session was the relationship between research and action. It was emphasized that the theory-practice interaction or action-research relationship in the research field is one of the lifeblood of quality research, and the importance of sharing the results of the research directly with the actors in the field was emphasized. By giving the example of the action research process experienced from the fieldwork in the suburbs of Paris, the importance of feeling the field and creating knowledge in a deep sharing process was emphasized.
The third session was on the impact of migration research. In this session moderated by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Korkut Tuna from Istanbul Ticaret University, Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kaya from Bilgi University, Assoc. Prof. Didem Danış from Galatasaray University and Prof. Dr. Şükrü Aslan from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, the effects of research were discussed from various perspectives. It was widely discussed that the effects of research conducted by an “insider” would be much different and deeper.
In connection with the first session, the effects and drawbacks of “insider” studies were also discussed. On the one hand, the advantages of having the same affiliation with the field of study and the researcher in order to obtain quality data were discussed, while on the other hand, the problems that may arise from the researcher’s close relationship with the field were discussed. In particular, the importance of oral history data for understanding the sociological and political dimensions of recent history was emphasized.
The symposium ended with a general evaluation by Prof. Dr. Necmettin Doğan and Dr. İbrahim Soysüren from Ticaret University.
