Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to explain the diversity with which recently Afghan migrant and asylum seekers who have recently arrived in Turkey view and negotiate their structural positions of irregularity within the framework of social and cultural theories of risk.

Paper long abstract:

Pursuant to the institution of restrictive policies towards Afghan migrants and refugees in Pakistan and Iran, as well as continuing insecurity in Afghanistan, Turkey has become a significant country of transit and the closest country asylum in the region. When in Turkey, however, Afghans are subject to policies designed to legally marginalize and prevent integration. Furthermore, anti-smuggling measures and tighter controls on the EU border appear to have increased the financial cost of irregular travel and possibility of apprehension. This paper seeks to explain how recent Afghan arrivals view and negotiate their "structural position of irregularity" whilst in Turkey within framework of social and cultural theory of risk perception and acceptability.

The migratory options for Afghanis in Turkey, such as irregular travel or asylum, expose migrants to uncertainties and vulnerabilities. Typically Afghans pursue a combination of these options. Current migration theory on decision making fails to capture the diversity of intra-group variation as witnessed among Afghans in Turkey, because of its focus on macroeconomic and political factors. Based on ethnographic research since December 2010, including 65 in-depth interviews with Afghans across several cities in Turkey, it is argued that the heterogeneity of Afghani migratory trajectories arises from their subjective evaluation of risks in the broader cultural and social context of their decision making. This paper goes towards challenging the common perception of migrants "risk-averse actors" while demonstrating the discrepancy between the impact of "migration controls" as viewed by the states versus individual migrants.