Post-migration experiences and the reconstruction of gender identity among young afghan women in Turkey

Kacar Tunc G., GÖKTUNA YAYLACI F.

Women's Studies International Forum, cilt.112, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 112
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103160
  • Dergi Adı: Women's Studies International Forum
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, American History and Life, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Afghan refugee women, Gender and migration, Narrative analysis, Postcolonial feminism, Turkey
  • Anadolu Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Grounded in feminist epistemology, this study explores the post-migration experiences of young Afghan refugee women through their own life stories. We conducted narrative interviews with 20 women aged 15–25 who migrated from Afghanistan and Iran and sought asylum in Turkey, currently residing in Konya. By focusing on their narratives, we examine how gender—in conjunction with age, class, and legal status—shapes their daily lives and sense of self. While many experienced migration as an escape from patriarchal violence, they also encountered new forms of gender-based constraints. Despite these challenges, participants expressed a strong sense of agency. Through work, education, and creative practices, they forged paths of resilience and belonging. Their stories challenge homogenizing portrayals of refugee women, revealing complex negotiations of identity, freedom, and hope that they undertake. Rather than proving to be passive victims, these young women emerge as active individuals who are navigating structural limitations while imagining new futures.