BORDER AS A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON: THE CASE OF TURKEY-GEORGIA BORDER
BİR SOSYOLOJİK OLGU OLARAK SINIR: TÜRKİYE-GÜRCİSTAN SINIRI ÖRNEĞİ

Author : Kerem ÖZBEY
Number of pages : 375-395

Abstract

The border functions as a sociological phenomenon in terms of the dimensions it has, the meanings it contains, the functions it carries, the constructions it creates, and the changes it causes. This study, which deals with the borders that symbolize the sovereignty of the modern states, treats the borders as an problematic object of sociology and reveals a sociological point of view towards the borders. This study focuses on Hopa, a border region, aiming to understand how residents of Turkey-Georgia border have a view of borders and what kind of experiences they have created through borders in everyday life. Because Hopa is the closest place to the geography in question, it is a border neighborhood in terms of Georgia, located at the crossroads of international trade routes, and is a place where it directly influences the social, economic, cultural and political changes and transformation processes taking place due to the border. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 30 people, including 16 people living in Hopa and 14 immigrant workers migrating from Georgia to work in Hopa, within the framework of a qualitative research methodology. As a result of the field survey, it has emerged that the border is a key function in terms of social and cultural change. Based on the interviews the study identifies a significant overlap between the modern state’s understanding of the border and the approaches of the inhabitants of the border region towards borders. For those living in the border area, it is understood that the border is the motor of economic dynamism. In this context, these results show that the border is a sociological phenomenon.

Keywords

Border, Border Perception, Borderlands, Turkey-Georgia Border

Read: 739

Download: 237