Social workers and xenophobia: The case of Türkiye

Abstract

In recent years, xenophobia has become an increasingly important area of research in social work. This study was conducted in the South-Eastern Anatolia and the Mediterranean regions of Türkiye, both of which are densely populated by immigrants. In the study, the mixed method was conducted on social workers working in these regions. In the quantitative section, the Xenophobia Scale was applied on 242 social workers. In the qualitative section, 35 social workers were interviewed. The findings revealed that married social workers were more xenophobic than their single counterparts ( p ≤ .05). While those who did not receive training on immigration tended to be more xenophobic than those who received training ( p ≤ .000), those who worked in the Mediterranean region tended to be more xenophobic compared to their counterparts who worked in the South-eastern Anatolia region ( p ≤ .05). In the qualitative section featured 35 social workers who fell into three categories: those who did not use xenophobic expressions but were disturbed by the problems that arose with living with immigrants, those who used xenophobic expressions, and those who did not use xenophobic expressions at all. This study's findings highlight the significant role of non-xenophobic social workers in the field of migration. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity for xenophobia-focused trainings for social workers. In conclusion, there is potential for enhancing non-xenophobic practices among social workers in the field.