REFUGEE STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERSECTIONALITY APPROACH

Abstract

Turkey is the country hosting the highest number of refugees in the world, and a large majority of
this population is refugees with temporary protection status from Syria. In this immigrant group,
where the number of young populations is quite high, the number of students enrolling in
universities in Turkey is increasing. However, education life provides advantages on the one hand,
and on the other hand brings the disadvantages experienced by immigrants to the surface. The study
is based on the intersectionality approach in order to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of
students under temporary protection in their education life. Thus, the study aims to give a different
and original perspective to the subject of migration and education. The intersectionality approach
refers to the social position of an individual that emerges when different categories such as race,
ethnicity, gender, socio-economic class, age, disability, intersect and affect each other. In the study, which has a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13
students studying at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University using semi-structured question forums. As a
result of the study, it has been revealed that it is insufficient to explain the inequalities experienced
by Syrian students in the education process by simply linking them to being refugees/immigrants.
Instead, it has been understood that factors such as gender and roles, academic language deficiency,
low socio-economic status, digital inadequacy and division, family and work environment, etc.
affect each other.