Post-migration experiences and the reconstruction of gender identity among young afghan women in Turkey

IF 1.5 3区社会学 Q2 WOMENS STUDIES

Womens Studies International Forum Pub Date : 2025-07-10 DOI:10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103160

Gamze Kacar Tunc , Filiz Goktuna Yaylaci

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Abstract

Grounded in feminist epistemology, this study explores the post-migration experiences of young Afghan refugee women through their own life stories. We conducted narrative interviews with 20 women aged 15–25 who migrated from Afghanistan and Iran and sought asylum in Turkey, currently residing in Konya. By focusing on their narratives, we examine how gender—in conjunction with age, class, and legal status—shapes their daily lives and sense of self. While many experienced migration as an escape from patriarchal violence, they also encountered new forms of gender-based constraints. Despite these challenges, participants expressed a strong sense of agency. Through work, education, and creative practices, they forged paths of resilience and belonging. Their stories challenge homogenizing portrayals of refugee women, revealing complex negotiations of identity, freedom, and hope that they undertake. Rather than proving to be passive victims, these young women emerge as active individuals who are navigating structural limitations while imagining new futures.

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移民后的经历和土耳其年轻阿富汗妇女性别认同的重建

本研究以女性主义认识论为基础，透过阿富汗年轻难民妇女的生活故事，探讨她们移民后的经历。我们对20名年龄在15-25岁之间的妇女进行了叙述性访谈，她们从阿富汗和伊朗移民到土耳其寻求庇护，目前居住在科尼亚。通过关注她们的叙述，我们考察了性别——连同年龄、阶级和法律地位——如何塑造她们的日常生活和自我意识。虽然许多人移徙是为了逃避父权暴力，但他们也遇到了基于性别的新形式的限制。尽管面临这些挑战，与会者仍表现出强烈的能动性。通过工作、教育和创造性的实践，他们开辟了恢复力和归属感的道路。她们的故事挑战了对难民妇女的同质化描述，揭示了她们所进行的关于身份、自由和希望的复杂谈判。这些年轻女性并没有被证明是被动的受害者，而是成为了积极的个体，她们在冲破结构性限制的同时，想象着新的未来。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Womens Studies International Forum WOMENS STUDIES-

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

79 days

期刊介绍： Women"s Studies International Forum (formerly Women"s Studies International Quarterly, established in 1978) is a bimonthly journal to aid the distribution and exchange of feminist research in the multidisciplinary, international area of women"s studies and in feminist research in other disciplines. The policy of the journal is to establish a feminist forum for discussion and debate. The journal seeks to critique and reconceptualize existing knowledge, to examine and re-evaluate the manner in which knowledge is produced and distributed, and to assess the implications this has for women"s lives.