Constructions of Multiple Deservingness Frames towards Refugees in Everyday Work Life in İzmir

Abstract

This study focuses on the role of justification astrategies in the production and mobilization of multiple deservingness framings towards refugees in everyday work life. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Turkish employers in labour-intensive sectors in İzmir, the article presents a city-centred, evidence supported case which answers on the basis of which criteria Syrian refugee workers are deemed deserving and undeserving. It argues that the production of deservingness frames is not uniform and mutable across time and space, thereby actors can engage in different justification strategies in similar situations since the constitution and mobilization of deservingness frames are context-dependent. This study further argues that Turkish employers’ narratives towards Syrian refugee workers are shaped by not only economic interests but also unique features of historical and socio-cultural dynamics at the local level, resulting in three distinct deservingness frames: established deservingness, fragile deservingness, and established undeservingness.