1609) Armenian Labor Migrants in Istanbul by Irena Grigoryan

This paper is a descriptive report about the realities of the Armenian labor migrants in Istanbul. With the absence of open borders, diplomatic relations, formal economic ties and compromising historical narratives between the Armenian and Turkish states the report ?nds the situation of Armenian labor migrants in Istanbul to be of particular precariousness, volatility and vulnerability.

The purpose of the report is to identify the gaps of knowledge and emerging patterns in the dynamically developing picture of the Armenian migrants in Istanbul. The report develops a general descriptive picture of the migrant groups, complete with analytical thoughts and notes on the collected data. Particular attention is given to the description of human fabric, settlement, employment, incorporation and social networking spaces of the Armenian migrants in Kumkapi (Fatih) and Kurtulus (Sisli) neighborhoods of Istanbul, based on pro?ling check-ups of 40 migrants and semi-structured in-depth interviews of 15 migrants.

The added value of this report is providing recommendations to academicians, civil society and policymakers on the need of future research and actions to address the existing information gaps and understand the development patterns of this specific community of migrants. . .




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