Refugee Identities: Ethnicity as a Communicative Process |
| |
| Authors: | Nurhayat Bilge |
| |
| Institution: | Communication Arts Department, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | Ethnicity and, by extension, ethnic identity, are problematic concepts to define. This article explores self-defined boundaries of ethnic identity by framing ethnicity as a communicative process through a narrative study focusing on a particular refugee group called Meskhetian Turks. Twelve in-depth interviews were analyzed for emerging themes. The results revealed three inter-connected themes demonstrating the significance of (1) the past, (2) cultural preservation, and (3) a sense of community. Thus, the study demonstrated self-defined borders of ethnic identity and revealed ethnicity as a communicative process, whose emergence, preservation, and continuity depends solely upon communication. |
| |
| Keywords: | Refugees ethnicity ethnic identity cultural identity Meskhetian Turks |
|
|
