Q&A with Zeynep Şahin Mencütek
Zeynep is CERC Migration’s incoming Senior Research Associate with a special research focus on migration in the Middle East, foreign policy aspects of migration and refugee repatriation. While patiently awaiting her visa to enter Canada and begin work with CERC Migration, Zeynep has published six papers in 2020 and more are coming. (external link, opens in new window) This includes a report on refugee protection regimes, which is part of a series she is undertaking for her Horizon 2020 research project RESPOND. CERC Connections spoke with Zeynep to learn more about the influences that shaped her path, her recent work and her aspirations.
With a PhD in international relations, how did you become an expert in the field of migration research?
First, migration and refugee issues are central concerns to international relations. I began to understand this when working on my bachelor’s degree. It was during the Middle East crisis in the early 1990s, and both the Palestinian issue and the first Gulf War in Iraq showed that refugee and forced migration are significant components of international conflict.
My PhD advisor, Laurie Brand at the University of Southern California, was also a transformative influence. Though a professor of international relations, she wrote a seminal book called Citizens Abroad (external link, opens in new window) in which she compared the role of emigration and state relations in the Middle East and North Africa. The book showed me what was possible with its deep, analytical comparisons.
Migration also touched me personally. As a Turkish national studying in California, I connected with the local Turkish immigrant community and learned first-hand of the strength of diaspora. Upon returning to Turkey, I married an immigrant who had been living in Italy for 20 years. Through my husband, I learned how strong the kinship networks are in the ethnic diasporas throughout Europe.
Later in 2011, while I was teaching at Gediz University in Turkey, the Syrian refugee flow began as a result of the civil war, and faculty colleagues and I formed an interdisciplinary research group to tackle migration issues. I brought a comparative approach with my international relations background, looking at policy approaches in the U.S., Europe or the Middle East, for example.
A lot of your recent research has focused on Syrian refugees. What is driving your interest and what do you hope to uncover?
The Syrian migration crisis has been at a scale and time frame not experienced before, with more than five million refugees having fled Syria. My recent book (external link, opens in new window) compared the different responses to the crisis by Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon – three of the top Syrian refugee-receiving countries in the world. A paper that I co-wrote (external link, opens in new window) builds on this work, looking into what are the primary influences that determine how well refugees integrate into the labour market. This integration is so important to their well-being.
Jordan has the second-largest number of Syrian refugees per capita of all the border countries. Unlike in Turkey where Syrian refugees have been issued temporary protection status and are able to work in urban areas, Syrian refugees in Jordan have been restricted to living in camps and only permitted to work in very prescribed sectors. Jordan made an agreement with the EU to create jobs in exchange for financial aid. But due to a host of problems, very few new job opportunities were created. The case of Jordan shows there are often many other larger issues at play that affect the outcomes of regulations for the employment of migrants on the ground.
What did you find most surprising in your study of Jordan?
We uncovered two surprising influences over labour integration of refugees: the degree that foreign relations and international agreements shape policy and impact the lives of refugees, and the degree of influence that perceptions of the host community have.
Our research showed that the outcome in Jordan was very much affected by development and foreign-policy-related priorities. And these policies were far less stable than expected – leaders swung from being welcoming to using immigrants as a scapegoat and urging them to return.
The other significant insight was the degree that anti-immigrant sentiment in public opinion could influence policy, even for an authoritarian regime. In the case of Jordan, years of absorbing Palestinian refugees have made the public concerned about job competition, protracted stay of Syrians, burden of hosting, etc.
How will your research evolve when you are working with CERC Migration?
The question of return migration is one area that I will continue to work on. To what extent are refugees expecting to return to their home country? What are the policies of the home and host country?
I will be collaborating on the issue of return migration as a result of COVID-19. Many labour migrants, such as those from India, have had to return because they no longer have work. But at home they face new challenges. We expect this trend to continue for some time and want to understand how the pandemic is influencing decisions.
We want to take a narrative approach to understanding migration policy trends. Are politicians speaking about migration as a threat, a risk or a crisis? We’ll be looking at a range of content, from presidential speeches in the U.S. to campaign speeches during Brexit, to see how narratives are being used to legitimize the decisions of world leaders.
I am also interested in how my work can have more practical impact in making people’s lives better. I am hopeful that taking new approaches to making research accessible – like the digital storytelling projects planned with the CERC – my work will reach many more readers and many different types of readers.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Recent publications
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2018). Refugee Governance, State and Politics in the Middle East (1st ed.). Routledge.
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020). Refugee community organisations: Capabilities, interactions and limitations. Third World Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2020.1791070 (external link, opens in new window)
Şahin Mencütek, Z., & Nashwan, A.J. (2020). Perceptions About the Labor Market Integration of Refugees: Evidences from Syrian Refugees in Jordan. Journal of International Migration and Integration. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-020-00756-3 (external link, opens in new window)
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020). Conducting Comparative Migration Research in MENA: Are the Regional Countries Too Unique or Too Similar for Comparisons of Refugee Policies? Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, 25(1), 11-34. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1202433 (external link, opens in new window)
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020). Emerging Transnational Practices and Capabilities of Syrian Refugees in Turkey. Migration Letters, 17(1), 125-138. https://journals.tplondon.com/ml/article/view/852 (external link, opens in new window)
Gökalp Aras, N.E., Papatzani, E., Şahin Mencütek, Z., Leivaditi, N., & Petracou, E. (2020). Refugee Protection in Europe and Beyond – Comparative Report. https://www.respondmigration.com/wp-blog/refugee-protection-in-europe-and-beyond-comparative-report (external link)
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020). Faith-Based Actors in Şanlıurfa, Turkey: Reducing Tensions Between Host Populations and Syrian Refugee Communities. In A. Jagarnathsingh & M. Nimer (Eds.), Civil Society Review, 4(1), 76-198. (PDF file) https://civilsociety-centre.org/sites/default/files/resources/csr_issue4_2020_vol1_preview.pdf (external link, opens in new window)
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020/18) (PDF file) Migration Narratives from Origin and Destination Country Perspectives
Şahin Mencütek, Z. (2020/17) (PDF file) Migration Narratives in Policy and Politics